Stories Without Chapters
by Lemons are Fun
Summary: Never thought I'd have a collection series, but I've found I've enjoyed them and decided to include not only completed stories, but also ideas or partial stories that may or may not have an additional life. Enter here, those that enjoy a fluffy Dramoine. Note that in some cases a Weasley or two and probably Dumbledore (and Ministry) may not be portrayed favorably.
1. Chapter 1 - What Makes a Marriage

_**A/N: Welcome to my first collection story of sorts. This will house primarily one-shots and incomplete ideas that I just had to put down (so they left my head). I offer nothing but gratitude for those that read what I post. I will mark this as complete and add chapters as I feel they are as done as I think they are going to get. This one is a complete story. Hopefully it's clear, but let me know if you get confused. **_

_**For those waiting on year 2, it's in process, I ended up redoing a bit of it as the story changed directions on me. I hope to start posting it by the end of this summer. Pray for me and my muse.**_

_**As for this, enjoy and I hope you find some humor seeing into just how my head works. It can be a scary place.~**_

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**What's Makes A Marriage**

Hermione rubbed her eyes for the fifth time in two minutes and groaned when the numbers didn't change. It couldn't be denied any longer and she would have to be the one to tell the Minister. "You know that isn't going to change anything. You've been telling them about this for years, it's not your fault they doubted you. At this point in the history of magical Britain, no one should ever doubt you." The smooth drawl calmed her anxiety a touch.

"Be careful Malfoy, someone might get the impression you think highly of me." Her brown eyes then caught sight of an unexpected thing; Draco Malfoy was standing in her office door wearing khaki shorts, a crisp pink polo top and bright white converse trainers. She blinked again and, as with her report, nothing in front of her changed.

"Did you forget you had promised to escort me to Salcombe and inspect the newest yacht in the Malfoy fleet before we meet with our friends tonight?" The man was still just as pompous as he had been in school, except now he wasn't. She watched him in veiled amusement before she put away the reports, closed her laptop and slid it into her bag. After ensuring everything was in its place, the pair left the small office and headed home so Hermione could change.

Nothing would change now, it had been nine years since the Final Battle. But change would be required.

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** 1 Year after the Final Battle**

The first anniversary after the Final Battle found the Wizengamot enacting a new law requiring an annual census to count all magicals in the UK. Hermione soon discovered, that unlike muggle census records, magicals released the census result details quickly after the final numbers were verified. It seemed the Wizengamot assumed the results would support their rhetoric about how positive the future was for their world. Hermione took the first census in twenty years and documented it as a baseline. She would randomly look at the numbers and wonder what she could find in the coming years.

Immediately after the war, she had been offered any job she wanted in the Ministry, but even with the changes and Kingsley the new Minister, she had no desire to work for the government. Instead of resting on her laurels, she took accelerated classes, sat for her NEWTS, like a proper witch, before making any real decisions on her future. If Hogwarts with the classes and her extra-circular activities with Harry had taught her anything, it was to not rely on the government to make everything right. So instead of becoming a small cog in the grinding Ministry wheel, she set herself up as an outside consultant and resource. This allowed her to work on what she wanted and still get paid.

Her friends began to settle into their expected adult lives almost as soon as the dust settled after the Final Battle. Harry and Ginny were married in a small, but still overly reported wedding, a mere seven months after the battle over the yule holidays. Even though Ginny had returned for her final year, her studies and wedding plans didn't cause any undue conflict.

The rumors on the winter Potter affair were reported heavily for those seven straight months. Everyday there was a new rumor on color schemes, whether the groom would wear robes or a muggle suit, how would the bride wear her hair. For Hermione it got to be too much and charmed the paper to only show articles that were of merit. Needless to say, her mornings had much more time after that. Ron, on the other hand, read the paper and realized he needed to do something or he would be left to the side as his only friend moved on. The answer was simple for the red head. Harry may be the boy-who-lived-twice, but the wedding of two-thirds of the golden trio would be epic.

Hermione refused Ron's proposal in August saying it was too soon and the family was still mourning all their losses. She wasn't ready and she knew he definitely wasn't. He seemed to agree to wait and didn't have any issues with her leaving alone to locate her parents. Looking back she knew why, but then she was just pleased to not have to fight with him.

Others from their class and the ones that were older quickly paired off and The Prophet was filled with one wedding announcement after another. The Potter wedding would be the first and signal it was ok to move on from the darkness of the last few years. Once the new year rolled around there seemed to be at least one wedding every weekend. Hermione questioned some of the relationships, but never said anything. If they were happy than she was happy for them.

In the meantime, Hermione had located her parents and with some help from memory charm specialists, the Granger's memories were fully returned. They were not pleased with their daughter's unilateral and heavy handed decision, but came to understand her perspective as they learned more of the atrocities suffered by those who had remained in Britain. She alternated between Australia and Britain until a month into the New Year.

When she returned home, Hermione found Ron had planned an elaborate but surprisingly private proposal. With her parents and his present, she accepted and thought now she could move into her own future; however, the wedding never happened. About three months before the planned wedding day, Hermione left work a few hours early to meet with Ron, Molly and her own mother and make some final wedding decisions. She had picked up her mother and met Molly at the apparition point near the lovely home she shared with Ron. The home had room to grow, as Molly pointed out, with enough rooms for the two or three children Hermione desired. Ron hadn't really any thoughts on the number of children necessarily, but seemed more on the three or more bandwagon. Hermione knew it was something they needed to discuss just yet, but their relationship was under enough stress with the wedding. It could wait.

As the women entered the house on that lovely afternoon, they were met with a distinct thumping noise and what sounded like grunts. The small group made their way down the hall and found the noises were due to Ron and Lavender Brown's activities in the bed shared by Ron and Hermione.

Hermione was actually too shocked to respond, but that didn't stop Molly. Ron still had a bit of a limp on particularly cold days. Lavender was ejected from the home sans clothes. Jean Granger pulled Hermione from the room and was able to get the stunned witch to the floo. Using the powder from the floo-pot and Hermione's presence, Jean called Harry and before too long the young wizard was packing everything belonging to Hermione. Molly was still berating her son as Harry escorted the sister of his heart and her mother to Grimmauld Place.

Hermione spent the first few days mourning the loss of the relationship, maybe not the romantic relationship so much but more the friendship. It was certain she would never trust the man again, and what was the point of friendship if there was no trust? Hermione found herself pleased to have dodged a bludger when four months later, two weeks after the pair would have returned from their honeymoon, Lavender announced her pregnancy on the front page of The Prophet.

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** 2 Years after the Final Battle**

When the results of the second census were released there was't much news coverage. It was quietly filed and the world continued to spin as it had for billions of years. Hermione found herself unable to let it pass. She took the results and added them to her database. There wasn't enough data to make any educated conclusions just yet, but the numbers didn't look good. Two data points make a straight line; however, it was unknown if the line actually showed what was really occurring.

After the debacle that had been her own engagement, Hermione settled into a hybrid life. She found a lovely townhouse just on the border between her two worlds. She walked to the muggle grocer and apparated to the magical apothecary. Her relaxed job gave her time to finish the projects she was hired to do and still allowed ample time to research her own interests. She found the place better suited for her job and where she was in her life. It was small enough for her, but was large enough for when her friends visited.

After obtaining the second census results, Hermione decided to spend her spare time researching how muggles responded after large all consuming wars. The reaction to the end of the majority of wars was to throw everything in to peace time activities which included copious amounts of children. However, based on what little data she was able to obtain in the years after the first British wizarding war, the magicals of the British isles didn't seem to do that. There had been a slight uptick in births, but nothing of significance when viewed against long term averages. In fact, the birth rate between the two wars was significantly lower than prior to the first war. Part of this was due to an increase in miscarriages that had been documented in the official records. Hermione wondered how many weren't officially reported.

The beliefs that led the British magical community to battle itself hadn't changed in the years after Voldemort's first death and so the community continued to turn in on itself throughout the 1980s. She wasn't ready to say the miscarriages were totally due to the lack of variety, but maybe the combination of that and result of wartime atrocities resulted in most families being lucky to have a single child. It wasn't only unforgivable curses that caused long term damage. Take enough stinging hexes to the groin and the wizard in question would have problems fathering children.

What the data showed was in complete opposition to what the Ministry and history said should happen. She just didn't see anything to support the opinion there would be an increase in magical family births. However, Hermione knew for a fact there were a half dozen couples who would have a child before the third census was initiated. Those six children would not make up for the losses from the Final Battle, let alone the years leading up to it. But hopefully it was a start. She would just have to wait to see what happened in the next few years.

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** 3 Years after the Final Battle**

The third year results reflected the new families and their offspring. While there were more than six children born, those births didn't come close to replace those who had passed the prior year. Hermione had just enough data to start running predictive formulas and what she was seeing wasn't comforting. Coupled with her private knowledge of her friends lives, she no longer believed the words coming from the Ministry. Lacking definite evidence, her doubts were merely based on her prior experiences. Now the data was proving her doubts to be accurate.

At the end of the prior year, Hermione watched the marriages of all her friends slowly deteriorate with no one willing to accept they hadn't made the best decisions at seventeen. Directly in the aftermath of an all consuming war. While they were still hurt from what they witnessed. What they were forced to do to survive. While they were trying to heal.

That was why Harry and Ginny's divorce rocked the wizarding world. James was born a mere eighteen months after final battle and seemed to harken the start of a great new world. Instead the baby's parents found they had drastically different ideas about how married life should be. Ginny didn't want to be a younger version of Molly and Harry really had no idea what he desired in a wife. In addition, his childhood had scarred him so badly he was literally afraid to touch his son. With neither of them able to explain their needs, their silence continued to grow.

The pair struggled with their internal demons for months until Harry broke down and told Hermione everything and the witch was not prepared for that. Shortly thereafter Hermione found Ginny doing the same thing. It's not that she didn't want to help her friends, but what they needed was someone completely impartial. After a bit of coaxing, she got them to attend therapy both individually and as a couple. It seemed to help and the pair started to act more couple-like again. That was until Molly started badgering them for more children.

In the face of pressure and insecurity, Harry found himself incapable and Ginny believed it to be her fault. Their therapist helped them through, but in the end they decided their marriage just wasn't strong enough. After the shock of the Potter's divorce started to wane there was a flood of other opting to divorce as well. Padma Macmillan filed for her divorce next. The request was received by the Ministry after Ernie had been found to be living with Pavarti instead of traveling for work as he had claimed.

Anthony Goldstein and the former Susan Bones were next to be reported. By the end of the year, it almost seemed to be a roll call of the students who had survived the war. Due to the numbers of divorces, The Prophet stopped reporting on them do to the space it took up. One of the divorces that was overlooked was between Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott. The couple quietly completed their paperwork and found the process relatively easy as there were no children. Even though Hannah didn't want it, Neville made sure his former wife was secure in her ability to care for herself. The funds were transferred into the witch's account and caused the only argument during the entire proceedings. The judge smiled at the witch's proclamation of not marrying Neville for his money. The wizard acknowledged the statement, but still thought it was the least he could do for her. They were still friends after all. The witch rolled her eyes and grudgingly accepted the overly large number of galleons.

It seemed every marriage outside of a contracted one had ended badly. Some claimed this is what happened when a choice was given. There were no divorces in previous generations. The children of these marriages were quick to remind how miserable everyone in those relationships really were. It was also pointed out those same strong marriages were responsible for fostering hatred and wars fought by children.

The idea of arranged marriages mandated by agreements and parental desires had been dealt a serious blow when the Malfoy heir publicly refused to be bartered by his father. It was clear the young man was asserting himself as the head of the Malfoy family and daring his father to put one toe out of line. The older Malfoy stepped back, while the younger Malfoy discovered just how misguided his parent's beliefs truly were. He spent many an afternoon roaming the newly opened (to him) muggle world.

Hermione's research into the history magic continued and she found that before Grindelwald, the birth rate for muggles having a child with magical traits was one birth for every thousand or so magical parent births. With the number of magicals in the British isles, there were always a handful or so muggleborns starting Hogwarts every year. As the witches and wizards across the world started to die because of Grindelwald, the worldwide muggle born birth rate saw its first increase in a millennia. This data wasn't as supported as well as other topics, but Hermione was able to find enough circumstantial evidence to feel comfortable with her assessment.

Hermione's theory involved magic, magic itself wanted to survive and if the witches and wizards wouldn't do it, than magic would. She could never prove it of course, but if it was true, then there would be more and more magical children born to muggle parents in the coming years. When the birth rates were compared to other countries, Britain was the only country whose instances of muggle born births had not decreased since the 1950s.

The worldwide reaction to Grindelwald's atrocities, once he was neutralized, was shock and anger at being led so easily. The rest of the world reacted as expected and had baby booms. Very few countries were involved when Voldemort made either attempt at his domination of Britain. Why, well that was a good question. No one really knew, but most of the countries claimed there was never a request for assistance, official or otherwise. Another point in Hermione's favor for opting to avoid the Ministry at all costs.

Whatever the reason, the British magical population was the only one to greatly suffer during the two Riddle Wars. When the survivors of the second Riddle war did not immediately start to produce children, the excuses were immediate. The survivors were getting over the battle and then it was the young parents waiting to have a second child until the first was a bit older. After that, it was people dealing with the death of family members from their long term curses. Hermione supposed the next excuse would focus on the divorces. All the excuses sounded reasonable unless you actually spoke to those expected to have the children. It seemed the generation who were born to fight the previous generations battles had married for the wrong reasons. None knew what they really wanted and most had married within twelve months of the final battle. These marriages lead to a rush of births to people who may have just made it to their twentieth birthday.

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** 4 Years after the Final Battle**

Hermione returned to her home with the results from the fourth annual census and saw what she expected. The continued overall decline of the magical population with a definite increase in the number of muggleborn children. The increase in magical births noted in the second census appeared to be an anomaly. The witch considered that data and decided it would be identified as an outlier until the data supported a change to that decision. The number of births to magical parents was the lowest recorded in the, admittedly, small data set, but still was concerning. The decrease was beyond what had been predicted the prior year and seemed to predict the next years results would be even worse.

Hermione's personal theory on how magic would do what was required to survive was also proving true. The number of muggleborns had again increased when compared to the prior years. After reviewing all the data Hermione believed there was sufficient support to inform the Ministry of her findings. Her first meeting with Kingsley was difficult only in explaining how she came to her conclusions. By the end of the third meeting the Minister agreed with everything Hermione showed him. That support was meaningless when the Wizengamot refused to listen to the findings and told the witch to find something more important to do.

It seemed those esteemed members forgot what happened when someone told Hermione what to do. Kingsley took a copy of Hermione's results and used as a basis for some of the reforms he was working through the gridlock that was the Ministry. His efforts weren't shut down as completely as Hermione's, but they were still slowed or redirected as the Wizengamot wanted.

In addition to everything else, it had been quite a difficult year for Neville Longbottom. By the end of the previous year he was the only remaining Longbottom by blood or otherwise. His grandmother passed in the early summer and after telling his parents, Frank seemed to relax. A month later Neville decided his parents shouldn't hold on just for him. If they wanted to let go, they should. After a few one sided conversations, a lot of tears and promises to live the life they couldn't both Frank and Alice were wheeled into the same room and their hands were clasped together. The pair took their final breath and slipped from this life into their next. Neville prayed they were together.

It was that sort of love that drove Neville to ask Hannah about the divorce. After witnessing the death of her parents-in-law, Hannah agreed the love in their marriage was nothing like that of Frank and Alice. That was why there was no difficulty with the Longbottom divorce and it was finalized before the end of October that year. Neville and Hannah wanted to find the other person they would love like Frank and Alice loved each other. They also realized the likelihood of finding their match in country was slim. Both of their businesses could use some international influence so the now-friends discussed where they each wanted to travel and ensured a way for them to communicate. Each wanted to be assured of the other's safety.

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** 5 Years after the Final Battle**

Once the fifth anniversary of Voldemort's defeat had past, the British Ministry completed the annual census. As the years passed Hermione analysis of the numbers was aided by her purchase of the best analysis software the muggle world had created. Over the years, the data identified some very uncomfortable truths that were just starting to come to a head.

Firstly, an unexpected but definite decline in the overall population was significantly larger between the second and fourth years than was noted between either the first and second or the fourth and fifth census. The decrease was chalked up to individuals succumbing to wounds obtained during the previous two wars. Frank and Alice Longbottom were the poster children for this theory.

Hermione's prediction in the decline of births to magical parents indeed came true. This also impacted the overall population as the number of births lagged behind the number of deaths. Hermione's analysis, predictive formulas and charts did nothing but show a bleak future for wizarding Britain. The only demographic showing a progressive upward trend were muggleborn births and while Hermione was perfectly fine with muggles having magical children, it put the entire magical world in a precarious place. There was only so much of the budget dedicated to this group and it was already stretched beyond acceptable.

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** 6 Years after the Final Battle**

When the results were released the next year, Hermione again stood in front of the Wizengamot and questioned what they were planning to do. She was told people were still mourning their losses. Losses the witch couldn't understand as her family hadn't been at risk. The only reason the individual making those statements wasn't hexed so badly his never to exist grandchildren felt it was because the Minister took her wand, the Savior of all Magic silenced her and the recent (and now official) head of the Malfoy family carried the deathly still witch from the room. All knew her wandless and silent curses were even more deadly now and wanted nothing do with that trial. The idiot who dared to claim the witch didn't understand was then subjected to memories provided by the witch as part of the Ministry re-education program.

Hermione silently sat scowling at her best friend and Draco Malfoy. The duo were behind multiple shields, wards and protection spells while the witch cooled off. Draco was continually tweaking and adding more protective charms unique to the Malfoy family while Harry tried to reason with her. It wouldn't be the first time they had been hexed before she removed the silencing charm. "Listen 'Mione, he's an ass and I'll make sure he understands exactly what we all sacrificed while he was in France. He is a coward and I will call him out on it. Just calm down please?" She sat completely still glaring daggers at the pair. After a few more hours she finally huffed and Harry smiled widely at her. Still keeping all the protections in place, the dark haired wizard removed only the silencing charm. Draco wasn't too sure she had calmed sufficiently so he had his wand hidden behind Potter's back.

"Put your wand away Draco. Fine, I may have overreacted a little. I just don't see how the predictions are wrong. This isn't a prophesy, and if people don't change their ways we are in trouble. And get my wand back from Kings." Draco smiled before lobbing the requested item at the witch.

"I know 'Mione. There are only three kids younger than James in the day care here. We all know it, but one of the worst hit groups were the people five to ten years older than we are. They should be the ones having kids. Instead they are in the ground and we are, again, left to save the world. It can be really tiresome saving these people again and again." It was intended to cause a laugh but it was just too close to the truth to really do that. Hermione had a small smile while Draco leaned his head against the wall.

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** 7 Years after the Final Battle**

After seven years, magical Britain was in a precarious position. The overall population was at a dangerously low level, while the number of muggleborns had increased significantly. The Ministry was unsure what would happen in a few years once the toddlers started to really show their ability. The department responsible for the tracking of accidental magic was given an increase budget in order to hire and train dozens of new employees. The Wizengamot was rethinking laws surrounding muggleborns and when to inform the parents of their child's ability. Hermione had been ticked to discover the Ministry always knew about her, but felt she didn't have to know she was a witch until she was almost eleven. Bloody bastards. She was discovering more and more reasons that her choice to not work at the Ministry was correct.

Hermione was settled in her office thinking about what the numbers were really telling her when Kingsley appeared and asked for assistance. He knew her theories were more than likely accurate, but he could do little until the Wizengamot agreed there was a problem. His request was not a direct Ministry request. Both knew whatever alternatives the witch discovered would drive how the Ministry eventually handled the situation. It was probably a good thing she had spent all these years researching this in her free time. Now she could dedicate all her time.

Options were neither plentiful nor appealing. After getting frustrated with the numbers, she spent a few months researching and obtaining information on how the magical world worked prior to getting stuck in the 1890s, and there was quite a difference. She wasn't sure exactly how it happened but it seemed the world created by Queen Victoria not only sparked the muggle world wars but also stifled the progression of the wizarding world. Before the Victorian beliefs regarding marriage and child bearing took hold, witches and wizards formed committed relationships and those may not last their entire lives. Children were born and most witches had at least three children in her lifetime. Once marriages were seen as socially required, parents set about arranging them. The result appeared to show the number of children born decreased. Probably more due to the husband and wife not actually liking each other than any other reason.

It was during this time that many of the old families charmed themselves to ensure a son was the first born. That little trick actually helped the population as it started to require families to look outside of Britain to find a wife. Those charms had been broken at some point, maybe something with the dark mark and putting Riddle over family. She had noticed the families who did have a son first (or at all) were discovered to have doubts or turned spy against the dark once Voldemort returned after her fourth year at school. Hermione looked at the families without a son and realized if the charm had broken because of the dark mark, that was a rabbit hole she didn't want to investigate just yet.

As she worked through options she found an interest in the family trees of those around her. After discussions with the purebloods that were now part of her close circle, she found a litany of information as well as actual family trees. She spent six months mapping out everyone from her class at Hogwarts and found the majority of them were more closely related than she was comfortable seeing. That would have to be addressed as well.

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** 8 Years after the Final Battle**

The results of the eighth annual census sent the Ministry into an absolute a panic. Those that had said there were no real problems, continued their same rhetoric but it was nothing more than lip service now. Hermione glared and said nothing. She returned to a seat that was saved for her in the audience knowing she made sure everyone saw the truth. However, no one knew exactly what could be done.

Everything the politicians suggested were focused on the individuals in their twenties. None of those in power wanted to admit the extended life span of magical folk would mean they could still safely have children decades after their muggle counterparts couldn't. They really just wanted the power and not the responsibility. Hermione grumbled to herself that even after two wars, nothing had changed. Power was for those that would grab it.

The muggleborn witch who had been warning everyone about this for years, settled into her seat with a look of grim satisfaction. She wasn't happy about it, no not at all, but now these idiots were backing themselves into a corner. Kingsley sat and watched Hermione Granger as she whispered something to Draco Malfoy. The young aristocrat smirked, but it was't quite as believable as one he normally wore. Finally, the young wizard just nodded. During the short interaction, Draco's attention never wavered from the chaos that was this meeting. Draco, Hermione and Kingsley knew this particular meeting would be pointless, but it had to happen. The witch had some alternatives, but everyone had to be in a true panic before they would even listen to her ideas. Kingsley watched as the pair stood and left the hall. Hermione looked back once before shaking her head and walking through the door held open by Draco.

"So next year you'll swoop in and save the day?"

"There is no saving the day this time. Our generation was born to bear the sins of our fathers and suffer much for them. This isn't any different."  
Draco shuddered. He knew it was true but had hoped that for once he and those who had survived would be spared. It wasn't to be.

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** 9 Years after the Final Battle**

Hermione stood in Kingsley office three days before the results of the ninth census would be presented. The man looked at the charts and final report before sighing. "What are our options Hermione?" The witch listed the three most likely to succeed. The man was shocked to say the least. "There is nothing else?" The witch shrugged before shaking her head. As she reached the door to leave the office, she turned back to look at the wizard she still looked to as a father figure.

"I'll make the presentation Kings. This needs to be something that isn't tied to your tenure. This isn't the result of anything you've done or not done, but what those before us did. I want to make sure they all know whose at fault and I won't be blaming Grindelwald or Riddle for this." Kingsley nodded and watched as the witch quickly wiped a tear from her eye.

Two days before the meeting, Hermione was changing from the casual outfit she had worn to Salcombe that afternoon into something more appropriate for the discussion that would happen in an hour. She would have rather stayed on the yacht and avoided the coming storm, but storms seemed to find her. An hour later she was standing in front of her friends. Some of those in the room she would die for, some were merely acquaintances, but for better or worse they were the results of thirty plus years of hate.

"Thank you for coming everyone. As you are all well aware, we are at a crossroads for our kind. The Ministry or more specifically, those in charge of the Wizengamot have failed our generation and those after us again. The results can no longer be denied. I showed them to Kings yesterday and he agreed. So before this is presented, we need to be prepared." Hermione spent the next couple of hours going through the numbers, her research and what options she had discovered. She begged her friends to have a different idea, a better idea, something more cunning that would be better than the horrible options she had laid before them. By the end of the night, no new options were found and the group made the grim decision on which option they would prefer. All left shocked and by the next morning all had some sort of plan in place. They would not be caught by surprise this time.

On the morning of the meeting, Hermione stood in her bedroom and adjusted her skirt for what seemed like the hundredth time. "You look good Hermione. Let's get some food before we go and destroy our world." Draco held his hand out to Hermione who grabbed it tightly. "It will be fine eventually. And maybe some of us will get what we've always wanted." Draco squeezed her hand before rubbing her fingers gently and leading her to the small kitchen in the townhouse. After ensuring she had eaten her fill, Draco pulled two insulated mugs from the cabinet and went about preparing some to go drinks. "I'm going to grab my jacket and bag. I'll be back in a couple." The wizard nodded while continuing to work on the drinks.

Hermione pulled the jacket from her side of the closet and slipped it on. Entering her office she grabbed the packet she had prepared the day before, her laptop, small projector and slid everything into her shoulder bag. This would be day that Hermione Granger, smartest witch of her age, one third of the golden trio, and muggleborn extraordinaire wasn't able to save the day. It was hard for her to accept.

"Hermione?"

"Coming."

The pair were met in the Ministry atrium by their friends. One of the few things the war proved to everyone was just how powerful a group of like minded witches and wizards could be. It didn't always mean you won if you had more on your side, but the opponents would give pause. Kingsley stood at the chamber doors and saw almost every student who had survived the second wizarding war standing together. He hated seeing how small the number actually was; forcing a fake smile, he waved the group in. "Hermione what do you need from us?"

"Nothing right now Kingsley. I will give the details, present the options and let them discuss. We have decided which option we find least abhorrent and will fight for that. If we have proved anything in our short lives, it's that we all will fight for what we believe." Kingsley gave her a sad little smile before pointing to where she should set up.

After getting the projector set up and testing it would work, she settled in the provided chair and turned to face those behind her. Without their support she wasn't sure exactly what she would do, but in the end, the Ministry had failed them yet again. Draco leaned forward and clasped her hand in the way he knew she found comforting, the two sat silently listening to the chatter around them while finding support in the other.

When Kingsley called for attention Hermione reluctantly turned and faced the Wizengamot, she should be used to this by now. It had been nine years since the war ended and the magical British community was on the brink of extinction. "I call Hermione Granger to present the results of the annual census and predictions for the coming year." Hermione stood before clicking on the projector and smirked at the murmurs of those in the room. She had charmed her muggle electronics to work around magic. It was what she did on her downtime, when she wasn't trying to figure out how to again save the world she almost died fighting to save, multiple times.

"Thank you Kingsley, as you can all see, the results of this year are consistent with what has been reported in previous years. A predictive analysis shows without something drastic the British magical community as we know it will be unable to recover and will potentially lead to the end of the entire wizarding world as we know it. The only thing that will save magic in Britain is the births of magical children to muggles, those births have been increasing each year. The threat isn't in the children, but in how we handle the parents. It has been debated in this hall for years, the Magical Accident department is working overtime and already had their budget increased twice this year. There is nothing we can do to stop this short of increasing the birth rate among those of us with magic." There was a murmur of surprise, no one expected that.

"My generation has been asked to save the wizarding world multiple times, and it seems again we are the ones to take the brunt of the curse the previous generations forced on us all. Those generations found it more important to marry within their class and birth rates dropped. Their children were indoctrinated to believe the same thing and the birth rates dropped even more while miscarriages increased. As the acceptable pool of marriages decreased parents refused to look beyond our borders and began to force marriages between those that were closely related leading to more miscarriages. Then take into account two major wars fought over social class. In the end, the generations who participated in those wars willingly set the stage for what we see today."

Hermione took a moment to look at each member of the Wizengamot before turning her gaze to those in the audience. The only group of people that were unsurprised were her friends. Their faces held the same rage as Hermione. The blame for the mess that was their world was placed firmly at the feet of those that should have been trying harder.

"Since the future of the wizarding world is now in crisis again, I have determined there are really only three viable options at this point. If the number of magical births to muggles continues at this rate, eventually the statute will be broken and magic will be discovered by all muggles. When this happens you will be to blame. No other country in the world is experiencing what we are. These children are your chickens coming home to roost." Her anger was palpable and coming off her in waves. If he was so upset and if she wasn't so spectacular, Draco would be worried.

With a click of the remote button the presentation slide changed to one titled OPTIONS. "As I said, we don't have many options at this point. Maybe if this had beed addressed five years ago, but we were told it was nothing. So the first identified option is to remove the muggleborns from their parents and have them raised in the magical world. The children would be assigned to individuals based on appearance and projected power. The muggles would have their memories altered to believe their child had passed away. Keep in mind this action will not address the low birth rates for at least twenty years. This will be an ongoing practice and some sort of explanation will need to be determined in order to explain the rash of deaths in the muggle world." With a click option one on the slide appeared,'Kidnap'. It was a harsh but accurate description of what this truly was. At this point she needed the esteemed members of the Wizengamot to see just what their pride had caused. After a few moments of deadly silence Hermione continued.

"Option two will take a bit of explanation for those not familiar with muggle biology and genetic advances. When the magical world was falling in love with Tom Riddle's new persona, muggles were identifying ways to conceive children outside of the marriage bed. They eventually were able to fertilize and implant those eggs into woman. These children are no different from others children conceived in more traditional ways." Draco just rolled his eyes. He wasn't a fan of this one, he wanted his children to be conceived in a decidedly more traditional way. Preferably on silk sheets.

"This option will require wizards and witches to provide…let's call it samples of themselves. The samples will be matched based on a number of things including family history. Individuals related closer than four generations will not be paired to produce a child. The embryos will be carried by willing witches and the children will be raised in a group home. These children will not carry the names of their biological parents. They will select a name for their family once they graduate from Hogwarts." Those in attendance watched in stunned silence. What was the point in having children if not to continue family lines?

"We are in this position due to the two wars based on tradition and a distorted view of family. This option would negate family traditions as the children would be raised as siblings. The Ministry would provide a secure home, caregivers who gave their time and love to the children and the children would be tracked to ensure none married a sibling or close cousin."

Option two 'Test Tube Baby' appeared on the screen. The witch's eyes were hard and gave not an inch to those who wished to complain. The inclusion of muggle technology made it difficult to dismiss. To do so they would need a very good argument or alternative and right now none in the room had that. Hermione seemed a bit reticent to continue. Not that the first two options were appealing, but still this was something she couldn't believe she was proposing.

"Option three is probably the most difficult one for me to offer up for debate. Not because it is worse than the other two. As I said before, all three options are reprehensible but this one would impact me directly. Option three is to require all witches and wizards between the ages of twenty-five and eighty to marry. In addition to marry, marriages will be required to have a designated number of children. The younger the couple the more children they will be required to conceive. Those impacted will be grouped by age unless a mutual request is made. In other words, there will be no old wizards forcing themselves on a young witch. Matches consented to by both the witch and wizard will be accepted if they meet certain requirements. For those impacted and not in an acceptable arrangement, the Ministry will make blind matches based on multiple factors including family history." After explaining in vitro fertilization to a group that had difficulty discussing the monthly cycles of woman, she no desire to delve into genetics. Those in the audience were still stunned and hadn't reacted to anything she'd said, yet. With a click 'Marriage Law' appeared as the third option.

"In the second option, I mentioned the couples would be no closer than four generations apart. This is based on muggle laws regulating marriages between cousins. It has been found when individuals who are closely related continually intermarry their offspring aren't as strong and suffer from maladies. However, if a couple is related but are only 4th cousins the shared ancestor would be their great-great-great grandparent and ensures enough distance to provide variability in the child and reduces the chance the child having issues. This will be difficult for a certain portion of our world, due to the desire to only reproduce within the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the relationships within these families are all too close to meet the guidelines." That was when the yelling began.

"I see what this is. This muggleborn is just trying to finish off destroying the traditions of our world and to destroy purebloods." With a raised hand the witch in question quieted her friends.  
"During the war you left your family and ran to France to hide. I'm sure that is exactly what Cantankerus Nott intended to happen when he came up with that misguided grouping. You are one of the main reasons we are here. For years you've said these numbers aren't a problem, that children will be born. You escaped Voldemort's fury but made no effort to help your own children, do not pretend to care for anything more than yourself. If I had my way, you would already be rotting in Azkaban for your failures to traditions and family. So I will say this once more, none of these options are desirable but they are the only ones due to your inactions. Stick with what has worked before, sit down, shut up and pretend to care. Your time in charge will be coming to an end soon." The wizard glared and against what everyone knew was the better option he opened his mouth again.

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, it's a promise."

The screen flipped one more time to a list of the children born in the last nine years. The list of fifty names remained on the screen as the witch sat down.

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** 10 Years after the Final Battle**

The sun was rising tenth anniversary of the Final Battle and for the first time Hermione was going to miss the memorial. The evening before Harry told her it was fine and that everyone understood. In fact, there were a number of people missing it. Hermione watched the light in the room increase as she grunted while trying to get more comfortable. Draco leaned against the doorway for a moment and watched the witch struggle until she looked at him that way. With a chuckle and smirk, the wizard walked over and helped her sit up. He then settled next to her before wrapping his arm around her. "You should still go Draco. You can represent all of us."

The wizard shook his head before rubbing the distended belly of the witch feeling it twitch. "Naw, I think I'd prefer to stay here. Scorpius will be joining us soon and I'd rather not find out when your otter shows up screaming at me." Pulling the witch a bit more, Hermione settled into his hug and shut her eyes. He had been correct, of course, and just about when Kings started his speech Hermione felt the first powerful contraction. She had been feeling them for a few hours, she just hadn't wanted to say anything.

Draco was unfazed when the contraction hit; he summoned her bag, picked the witch up and headed toward the floo. Walking into the obstetrics ward of St. Mungo's, Hermione felt another contraction. "Good day, my wife is in labor, the contractions are about five minutes apart now." The nurse summoned a wheel chair and pointed toward it.

"Please set Mrs. Malfoy in the chair and we will get her into a room. Follow me." Entering the private room, Draco frowned, it wasn't very homey but if all went well they would all be home in a day or so. "Up you go Mrs. Malfoy and into the bed. Mr. Malfoy can help you get comfortable. I've paged your doctor and he should be here soon." The nurse, while pleasant received a glare from the pregnant witch.

"Draco, help me." The wizard dutifully walked over and helped get her into the bed and a more comfortable position. He pulled out three books, a crossword puzzle, and dart board. With a sticking charm, the board was stuck to the wall and a few darts were set in front of the witch. "Not a good idea Draco, I might misfire and hit you." The wizard laughed and removed the potential murder weapons.

"Too true love. Do you need anything I can get you?" Draco had tried to be so caring during this whole thing and Hermione tried to not blame him, too much.

"No but before the next one hits, I do love you. Don't take anything I say over the next few hours that seriously." Draco brushed his lips over her forehead and held her face in his hands.

"You're giving my what I've wanted for years. I love you. Take whatever you need from me for this." Hermione pulled the man into a pretty intense kiss. "I'm going to be taking a lot of cold showers but it is worth it. He will be worth it. You are the most precious thing in my life and worth more than anything I can touch."

Scorpius took a bit of time but eventually he made a screaming entry into the world. He looked like Draco with the same blonde hair, grey eyes and smirk. Anyone would tell you the same thing until you looked a bit closer at the child. The baby's expressions were completely Hermione. After he was born he took to studying the room and everything in it. Draco chuckled when the babe glared at the nurse who used a word improperly. Seemed the boy had already picked up a bad habit or two.

The small family returned home two days after they left and settled into a comfortable routine. Scorpius wasn't the first baby to be born from the mandated marriage law. But he was the first to be born to a couple that had selected their partner. Hermione and Draco were engaged before the meeting with the Wizengamot. The day after the group of friends had decided to fight for the marriage law, Draco took Hermione back to the yacht for a day to just relax. By the end of the dinner, the witch was finally relaxed enough for Draco to ask for her hand. He had discussed it with her father months earlier and both men decided they needed to wait until after her census analysis was complete. When he saw the results and the options, he knew what would happen and wanted to make sure Hermione knew his proposal was for the right reasons.

Hermione did say yes that night, but it was only after a few hours of discussions on life, goals, dreams and some unexpected revelations when each discovered they truly loved the other. It shouldn't have surprised Hermione, the pair had been living together for the past two years. But, the witch admitted to the thought not even being on her radar. So discovering Draco had been planning his proposal for months was a shock only to be coupled with being told her father had given his blessing. Rich Granger confirmed everything the next time Hermione saw him. Their marriage had been relatively quick, all things considered and was final as summer turned to autumn. Discovering she was pregnant just after returning from their honeymoon was another surprise. Neither had expected it but were happy.

Hermione sold the townhouse and the couple moved their belongings to one of the Malfoy slightly larger properties. Draco refused to live in the Manor for a number of reasons. The first was just because of the war and everything that had occurred there. The second reason was more emotional. Lucius had passed away in the large home a little more than three years prior and his ghost still walked the halls. Lucius's death was the final bit of freedom Draco needed to chase his goals. A month after taking over officially as the head of the Malfoy family, Draco asked Hermione on what would be remembered as their first date.

The marriage law was poorly written on purpose, but the Minister refused to allow it fall to the side. He set up a division of aurors whose responsibility it was to follow up with witches and wizards. They would also provide the newly founded Department of Marriage, Child Birth and Rearing (DMCR) the names of witches or wizards who were in need of assistance. The members of the Wizengamot impacted were aghast when they found their law would be enforced and they were now required to abide by their own wording. It was justice in some respects. One of the major failures of the law related to the timing of events. The law hadn't included a mandate on when children would be born, just how many were required for the couples. Those couples whose spouse was selected by the Ministry decided to start their families as quickly as possible. In order to be able to ignore the unwanted spouse once they fulfilled their obligations to Merlin and country.

The decision on the marriage law had been generally unpopular, but the inclusion of so many people gave everyone a universal complaint. Anyone who had children prior and still married to the same person were excluded from the law but due to the high number of casualties there were more widows that wives. In deference to the law, many individuals went abroad to find their spouses. It was actually a good thing, genetically speaking.

With the advanced notice, Hermione's friends used their personal resources and connections to ensure they each had a prospective spouse before the Wizengamot made their final decision. The timing of the weddings varied, again there was nothing mandated on how long the couple could date before marrying. Most took a bit of time and made sure the prospective couples complimented each others goals.

For those who found their spouse locally, muggleborns were identified to be the most desirable match in the new world as they were identified with having extremely powerful children and absolutely no relationships that would potentially have the Ministry rejecting the marriage claim.

Narcissa Malfoy, now Podmore after a surprising match with Sturgis, the former first apologizing for her husband's part in the latter's six month stint in Azkaban, had requested her spouse be matched by the Ministry. Her two year mourning period had expired and the witch found herself in a new world with few anchors beside her son and daughter-in-law. Narcissa grasped onto those two until Hermione brought Andromeda back into her life. Narcissa spent a month living with Andi and Teddy and found the muggle world wasn't as scary as she had been taught. When the Ministry finally provided Narcissa with her match, she immediately packed her belongings and moved in with the man. The pair were married two weeks later only surrounded by their small family.

It had taken a while for a match to be found due to the Black marriage tendencies. This made Narcissa related to just about everyone in the British wizarding world. Those families who weren't related either had no sons in the correct age bracket or were in Azkaban for their deeds during the wars. Narcissa had politely requested to not be paired with anyone who held onto her former beliefs. She wanted to raise her next children in a home without that ideology. Due to her role in the war, the Minister took personal responsibility for finding a match.

One month after marrying Sturgis, Narcissa wanted to discuss something that had been worrying her since the law was passed. Miscarriages. It was a common concern for her generation and Narcissa explained how lucky she had been to carry Draco to term (and even then the babe was still a bit early but too stubborn to not survive) and wanted to know if there were any muggle techniques that would be useful. After determining there was no issue with attraction between the pair Hermione had Narcissa meet with a half-blood healer who was supplementing magical theory with muggle techniques.

Draco found it a little odd when he realized his mum would have at least another child if not two more. She was only in her late forties and still had a couple of decades before being a mother would pass her. It didn't bother him too much. Narcissa's pregnancy hadn't been completely smooth sailing but in the end a healthy Lyra Anne Podmore was introduced to her half brother. Draco held his sister and introduced her to her nephew Scorpius.

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When the eleventh census was presented a decision was made for the annual results to be complied and presented every five years. It seemed those in power were quite sensitive to what Hermione's predictive analysis showed. The Wizengamot slowly started to experience the long desire turnover and the next generation to lead was the same generation who fought in Final Battle and they were found to be extremely protective of their life. While the marriage law wasn't widely popular, it was doing what it was intended to do.

Fifteen years after war and the population of British magicals had started to grow. The number of muggleborns had decreased for the first time in ten years and the magical world sighed into relief. While there was a relief, the number was still much higher than other magical populations and needed to be watched closely.

New laws had been mandated on how to handle magical children born to muggles. A monitoring system was established and when their magic started to manifest a team from the DMCR informed the parents of their child's special skills. After the discussions, the DMCR would determine if the child was at risk. Most parents were quite reasonable and had many discussions with other parents in the same situation. There were some whose personal beliefs; however, would put the child in danger. Those families were watched closely and when needed, the children were removed from the home. It was rare, but when it happened the child was placed in a home that would provide love and support. The muggles were monitored to ensure no additional magical children were born to them.

Twenty years after the end of the wizarding war saw Hogwarts adjusting their curriculum to meet the needs of the incoming classes. Muggle Studies was compulsory but pointless for those raised in the muggle world. For those students a class on wizarding history and culture was created. It provided students with an understanding of the world they were entering.

Twenty-five years after the final battle found magical Britain thriving for the first time in a century. The relationship between the isle and the rest of the magical world had been getting stronger since the introduction of the much hated marriage law. Many new families moved to replace those lost to the stupidity of hatred. Most of the pureblood mania had fallen to the side. The families that still existed were no longer pure, but found they still had power. But more importantly they found what it was to be a family again.

The unpopular marriage law remained on the books and remained so until the children of the children of those who fought in the Final Battle were in power before the law was actually retracted. It took nearly one hundred years before the predictive results showed a stable and healthy population. While Hermione was no longer responsible for the work nor were her friends on the Wizengamot, one of the lasting memories of the muggleborn witch was her fierce desire to save her world. Her children and grandchildren continued to ensure her name and work were only used for the betterment of their world.

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_**A/N2 - So there you have it, the marriage law trope has been marked off the list. **_


	2. Chapter 2 - She's A Witch

A/N - Just a short one. It's really just a random scene. It would be after the war; however, as are all of my stories, things are different. In addition to the fact that it has Hermione and Draco married, this one has a government that actually wants to do the best for the people. Granted it's a bit of stretch these days, regardless of your political leanings or personal beliefs, I don't know many people that are happy. Anyway, politic-free zone, sorry for the tangent. Anyway, I think it's pretty clear what is going on. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for reading, favoriting or following. Happy Saturday and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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The war was far enough in the past that it didn't haunt the survivors daily. But, it was still recent enough to find more than one wizard grabbing his wand to defend himself when hearing a scream. Or for a witch to disappear when there was an unexpected visitor. Nightmares still stole sleep but not as often. It was long enough ago that people were slowly coming to terms that their missing friends or family were gone and unlikely to be found.

But as happens everywhere, the world moved on. The Ministry attempted to right some of the wrongs and discovered they actually had the ability to help the magical citizens instead of being a mouthpiece for the largest donor. One of the first things done was to review how magical children were monitored. The new Minister had heard from those on both sides of the war and found their home lives ranged from idyllic to tragic. On top of it all was the public realization their savior had been dumped on a doorstep with a family who hated magic.

The Ministry quickly established it couldn't actually watch everyone as that was more invasive than anyone wanted to discuss. In response, the Ministry set up new guidelines to protect the most helpless of the society. These guidelines were widely celebrated and some of the old practices slowly fell out of favor. As the current generation began to have children, they wanted to provide their own offspring with a better home than what they had.

What the Ministry was able to do was monitor magical children raised by non-magical individuals. When a child of muggle origin but with magic was born the Ministry was immediately informed. Muggleborns were monitored to determine when their magic manifested and at what point their parents or guardians identified their talent. At that point someone from the Ministry would inform the family. This practice worked quite well and allowed parents to help their child learn to manage their powers.

The ultimate test for this new procedure occurred when the grandchild of Petunia Dursely had been born and identified as magical. The child, AnnLise, was being raised by her father as her mother died shortly after her birth. While Dudley worked during the day, AnnLise was watched by her grandmother. After what had been experienced by Harry Potter, the life of this particular child was monitored more closely that others. The first time Petunia realized the child was magical she went to strike the devil from the babe. Instead of laying her raised hand on the child, the woman was frozen on the spot. Without any flurish, Harry Potter removed his cloak and settled next to the little girl whose eyes were the same green as his own.

"Hello Aunt Petunia. It's been a long time and I see the years haven't taught you anything. I'm sure this is exactly how you treated me, but I won't allow you to harm this little girl." She remained frozen in the middle of the room until Dudley returned home. The man in question was surprised to see his cousin and daughter playing on the floor and his mother frozen with her hand in the air. It was a position he had seen often as a child.

"She magical isn't she Harry?" Dudley just dropped to the ground when the little girl stood and started to walk slowly toward her father. Harry nodded and watched his cousin with a keen eye. The man licked his dry lips. "I thought I saw her teddy bear flying the other night. I chalked it up to lack of sleep but I think I knew." He blew a raspberry to his daughter's stomach. "So what will happen with her?"

Harry Potter was surprised, he hadn't given his mother's family much thought after the war. He had been told they survived and returned to the house on Privet Drive. For him that was enough. Now it looked like they would reconnect, at least a little. "She'll go to Hogwarts when she is eleven, or she'll have the option. I would recommend it to ensure she can control her magic. After that, she can do whatever she wanted." Dudley nodded and looked to the girl.

"I don't know what you know about her. About us. AnnLise's mum died a few months after her birth. The doctors couldn't figure it out, but they chalked it up to some blood disorder that was exacerbated by the pregnancy and injuries she had before we were together. There were things about my wife that I willingly ignored. After she died I found a letter." Standing, Dudley set AnnLise on the ground and walked to his desk and pulled a large box from the bottom drawer.

He set the box on the floor and opened it before sitting next to his cousin again. Slowly and with great care he began to remove items. Harry immediately recognized the first item was a wand box. If Dudley had met a witch, who was she? The second item appeared to be a letter. "There is a lot of this that I just don't understand but I suspect you will." He looked uncomfortable for a moment before continuing.

"Just before AnnLise was born I was looking for some old pictures. We wanted her to have a picture of her parents at the same age. When I flipped through the album I happened to stop on one of my birthday parties I don't know which, it probably doesn't matter. I was telling her something or other when she noticed you in the picture. You were just on the edge. I didn't go into too much detail other than you were my cousin but we weren't in contact any more. I told her about the horrible things I did and my parents did to you. I never told her the real reason Mum and Dad hated you. She would have thought me crazy if I talked about magic. At least I thought she would have. She told me that children do a number of stupid things in an effort to please their parents. She said her friends did worse but I didn't believe it. I was horrible to you. It's something I regret."

Dudley slid the long smooth box between his fingers a few more times. "I would have probably tried to find you in a year or two once I sure. Once I knew beyond a sleep addled mind that my daughter was a witch. I assume you did that to mum because she was going to do something to my daughter. Thank you. Thank you for protecting her. I wish I had been stronger as a child and stood up for you."

Too many things hit Harry at one time; he needed time and more importantly, he needed help. After a slight acknowledgment, the wizard lifted his wand and sent the silver buck toward the one witch who could help him figure everything out. AnnLise clapped happily at the buck and started to ask for it to reappear. A boy who always wanted family had found likeminded friends and they had a makeshift family. But here, before that same boy, were the two closest blood relations he had. Without a thought the buck appeared and pranced around the little girl. She giggled as the large animal settled and pretended to butt his nose to hers. Harry smiled at the pair as he read the letter for the fifth time. It started to make sense just before a small silver otter flipped across the floor. Harry shook his head at the antics of the little animal. Hermione's voice came out of it, "Send me the coordinates and we'll be there."

"Hermione, my friend, and probably her husband have agreed to come they are going to pop in so try not to jump and scare AnnLise." Dudley, remembering the few experiences he had with magic transportation during those frightening times of the war, steeled himself and nodded briskly. Without a second thought, Harry sent another message with his buck. AnnLise's expression was not happy when the silver buck went away after that small other creature. She wanted them both back. As she was getting ready to let out a scream, there were twin pops in the middle of Dudley's small living room. AnnLise's anger was negated by the new visitors. She watched them in wide eyed wonder.

"Draco, I think you might make better sense of this." Without looking Harry handed the wand box, unopened with heavy enough for him to know there was a wand, and letter over his shoulder to Draco. Harry's eyes gazed at what was left in the box Dudley had pulled from the drawer. "Are those…" Harry's whispered question was covered by the grunt of a small child. Looking up Harry saw the other wizard adjusting the small blonde child in his arms and in an effort to keep the wand box and letter out of the toddler's hand.

"Scorp buddy, this is not a toy." The child raised an eyebrow and huffed before trying to subtly reach for the items. After giving her husband a few minutes trying to handle both things, Hermione scooped the almost three year old up from her husband's arms. After receiving a stern glare from her husband, she settled on the ground with Harry.

"You know Harry, he acts like I haven't done this before." She shook her head a bit and adjusted Scorp so he wasn't sitting on her belly. After getting comfortable, Hermione's gaze moved to the others on the floor. She was sure the man was Harry's cousin but the young child was unknown to her. Her eyes finally landed on the box nearest to Harry and the smaller box he had in his hand. She had seen many boxes like that over the years. In fact, she and Draco had quite a few themselves.

Scorp watched his mother until her focus was well and truly off him. At that point, the young boy looked around the room. He recognized his Uncle Harry but not the other man. But it was the little girl that grabbed his attention. He slowly and stealthily (at least in his mind) extracted himself from his mother's arms and sat next to the girl. The children began to babble to each other about animals. Harry heard the words deer and animal before once again sending his patronus to the children. "'Mione send your otter over there, I think AnnLise would like to meet him." Having learned to trust this wizard completely but still question him, she raised an eyebrow.

"Harry, what's going on?" The dark haired wizard pulled his attention from the vials that were stored in the unassuming box and away from the shocked and saddened look on Draco's face. Finally he settled on the girl who acted more like a sister than friend for more than half his life.

"Hermione, this is my cousin Dudley and his daughter AnnLise. She is magical and since she was potentially in contact with my Aunt and Uncle the Ministry has been watching her a bit more closely. I was on duty today and when Aunt Petunia saw her summon her blanket she attempted to slap the baby." Harry waved to the still frozen woman. "I stayed until Dudley got home and he started to tell me about his wife. She had been found almost five years ago in a field and was in a pretty bad way. The doctors almost weren't able to save her, she just wouldn't stop bleeding. They found venom in some of the wounds." Hermione gasped and looked to the little girl trying to pick out anything familiar.

"Nagini?" Harry nodded sadly and shut his eyes. That damn snake had done a fair bit of damage over the years and they were still finding new things. "You're telling me all these years the muggles had an antidote to her venom? Fucking unbelievable." Hermione ran her hands down her face. "Draco?" His pale complexion was a suntan compared to what he looked like now. Hermione pulled on her husband's hand until he settled himself next to her and silently handed her the letter as his tears began to fall. Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to know, but like with most of her life, she needed to know.

_Dudley,_

_My days on this Earth are short lived. I should have died before meeting you, but your doctors somehow neutralized the venom coursing through my body. I had watched my mother and sister be destroyed before I faced my fate in the face of a snake. All of this will mean nothing to you, but at some point, in the future, and you will know when, you will share this letter, the small box and everything the larger box. I will ask you to not do anything with the boxes, they contain evidence to convict him who truly failed me. They, and you will know who they are, will know what to do with all I have to say._

_I am a witch whose family was shattered by a war that ended at some point while I was recovering in the hospital. As you know, my memories were fragmented and took years to return. It was AnnLise's birth that finally broke my fog and allowed the pieces of my former life to slot back into place. It was then I knew my fate truly was upon me._

_My father abandoned us after failing some mission his master had set for him. My mother, sister and I were left to deal with consequences of his inactions. His failure as a father was nothing compared to his failure as a follower of a megalomanic whose main desire was to enslave the world._

_My sister and I were both supposed to be boys, heirs to the family name if you will. Shortly before my sister's conception my father's allegiance shifted from family to the villain of my piece. Whatever family ties that existed were destroyed the moment his vows to that monster were made. In reaction to having a second daughter, I was cursed by the man who sired me. The curse would limit me to one child and once the child was born, I would die. He was a vile man and I only wish I had the ability to do something more but I cannot. It's something I have accepted. While I have accepted my lot, I will not go quietly my love. The larger box contains a way for the truth to come out. Memories can be powerful and mine are simply damning._

_Do not feel guilty about AnnLise, I chose to her. I chose you. I chose my fate as my sister did for me. She knew we were all as good as dead but got the bastard to swear my torture wouldn't be by anyone's wand but his. I don't know how she did it, but she wasn't the second brightest witch in her year for nothing. She sacrificed herself for me. I was forced to watch, watch them be tortured, be killed and other things no one should have to see. I was not able to help them, but in the end, the vow he made was kept and the half-man sent his familiar to kill me. After torturing me the snake was supposed to finish the job. Apparently, I was dumped in that field and left for dead. My mother and sister didn't get that same outcome. I neither know what became of their bodies nor how long I was in the field before I was found. I thank Merlin everyday that you were the one to find me. _

_I will love you until the end and will see you on the other side. I will wait and introduce you to my mother and sister. They will be pleased with my selection._

_Eternally yours,_

_Astoria _

"Oh Draco." Hermione pulled Draco into a tight hug. The small group of surviving Slytherins had tried to find their missing compatriots and the assumption was they had died, but to see it in writing was difficult. Daphne had been one of Draco's few true friends. Dudley watched and realized everyone in the room knew his wife and their reactions told him the letter was only scrapping the surface of what she had experienced. And that pissed him off.

"Dudley, Astoria was the younger sister of Draco's friend Daphne. We have been trying to figure out what happened to them for years. What else can you tell us?" Dudley spent the next half an hour explaining everything he knew about Astoria's past. He admitted it wan't much, but as they spoke little comments and memories kept coming to him. He was only interrupted when the phone rang. Shaking his head, Dudley answered the call and Harry assumed it was his Uncle based on the surly look on Dudley's face.

"Harry, my father is coming over to pick up mum. I told him she wasn't feeling well and had taken a nap when I got home. If you could do that memory thing to her and make her forget about AnnLise's magic. It's Friday and I'm sure I can come up with some child care that doesn't involve Mum by Monday. Also, if you guys will stay, I still want to talk after they leave." Hermione, Draco and Scorpius stepped outside while Harry unfroze his aunt and wiped her memory of AnnLise's magic and any memories of seeing her nephew. While she was still dazed, Harry also stepped outside with his friends. After about twenty minutes Dudley stuck his head out the door and told them the coast was clear.

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Kingsley Shacklebolt was startled when an otter and buck stood in his office. After lifting an eyebrow, Harry's voice started to explain and was quickly cut off by Hermione's voice. She simply gave him coordinates and asked for a couple of trusted aurors to come along as well. Kingsley sent his lynx with a message to his wife before leaving his office. Hopefully she would be able to put their son to bed without too much hassle.

When Kingsley and the two aurors arrived, they found Harry Potter, Hermione Granger-Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, a muggle and two children in the small living room. The children were settled in the corner surrounded by pillows and multiple stuffed toys. As Kingsley watched the pair, he noted a stuffed deer come flying down the steps and into the hands of the little girl. Scorpius clapped cheered the little girl and was rewarded with the girl, no witchling's bright smile.

Before any introduction the young girl huffed and looked to the only other witch in the room. The brunette smiled and nodded before producing her patronus. The otter skipped and hopped in front of the children causing rounds of laughter. Draco's sadness was quickly replaced with anger at what he had found. But it was the giggles of his son and new friend that brought a smile to his face. "Really woman, you think an otter will entertain them for long?" With a swish of his wand a silver dragon streaked around the room to the sheer delight of his son.

"DWAGON!" Scorpius stood cheering as the animal circled in the air before settling next to the otter. The silvery beast appeared to smirk much like the man who was standing next to his witch.

"Show off. Just because our son has an unhealthy love of dragons." Hermione smiled as she too watch Scorp help AnnLise stand and introduce her to his parents spirit animals. "Hi Kings, seems we've solved the mystery of the missing Greengrass women." Kingsley noted the pained expression that flitted through Draco's eyes. The older wizard accepted the letter and looked to the other items scattered on the floor. It wasn't long before the aurors read the letter and felt it was enough to start an investigation to what exactly Anthony Greengrass was doing in France at the end of the war. When Kingsley opened the wand box they were stunned to find not one but four wands. Each had a small piece of paper wrapped around it to identify the original owner of the wand. With authority as the role of Minister, Kingsley confirmed what didn't need confirmation, the wands belonged to the three lost Greengrass woman and the current head of the family.

The vials of memories were also labeled, some where ones that Astoria wanted her daughter to see when she was older. Some were for Dudley to view, she wanted him to know how much he was loved. One vial was described as 'wands' and showed during her last days she wished for the wands to be reunited and each morning she would wake to find a different wand the bedside table. The final set were wrapped in dark green paper with silver writing. The notes all said the same thing, 'trial'. These would be memories that would give her the revenge in death she was unable to obtain in life.

After learning about the memories, Dudley asked the ones used to convict his father-in-law not be published. No one needed to know what his wife had suffered. What his mother-in-law and sister-in-law were forced to suffer. All that he wanted to be know was what the man that should have given his own life to protect theirs was not worthy of an ounce of respect.


	3. Chapter 3 - Visions

_**A/N: Hello, here is a little story that is and isn't about Draco and Hermione. I hope you enjoy.**_

_**This is a long weekend for those in the US so I can spend a good few hours and be able to start publishing my new story next weekend. It's the follow up to Harry Potter and the Muggleborn Problem. This one tackles their second year at Hogwarts. It's given me fits and the muse has decided to jump ship a few times. **_

_**Hope your Sunday is great and refreshing. **_

_**See you next time.**_

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Every family has secrets, some are little things of no consequence, while others are the sort of thing that would cause a family to lose their position in the world. The magical world was no different, it was just their secrets were more extreme than muggles. In the magical world, the secrets weren't complete secrets. Some were whispered in quiet circle while others were blasted in The Prophet. The old families had spent generations burying their secrets to ensure the most dangerous of them never saw the light of day. It was always the younger generations that seemed to not care about keeping the secret and let things slip.

If you asked the average witch or wizard about the Parkinson family, the most common response was how a banshee had to be in their history as the daughters of the line were known to be overwrought and whose wails could be heard many kilometers away from their position. The Nott family was the same. Due to their overly lanky appearance, dark hair but abnormally pale skin vampire blood was said to run in their veins. Everyone knew it wasn't true, the family was an important member of society and attended society events including garden parties. But when pressed, some would casually mention not remembering seeing a Nott in the full sun. But the most delicious rumor was about the Malfoy family. And delicious is what most witches thought of the Malfoy wizards as they followed the men around fetes or in the Alley or wherever they were seen. They were tall with the palest blonde hair and silver eyes. They seemed to shine whether the sun was out or not. Their wives were just as beautiful and seemed to be as ageless as their husbands. Surely the family were veela, what else could explain it. Nothing, if asked the average witch or wizard.

This is the story of one family's secret and the lengths they took to ensure the world would never be the wiser.

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Abraxas Malfoy gently ran his finger over the cheek of his newborn son Lucius. He smiled softly at Marguerite who was settled in the bed with her son firmly in her arms. "Abraxas." There was a quiet sigh and the new father turned to see his own father standing in the door. The elder Malfoy took a few steps into the room and his gaze landed on the boy. "Well done, the charm worked and our family shall continue." Nicholas looked briefly to the witch who dropped her in head out of respect. She didn't see her father-in-law leave the room but heard the door close. Looking up she saw only her husband remained.

"Abe, come sit with us before he comes back for you." The new father looked a bit scared at the prospect and Marguerite wondered if it was worry his father would be back or of being a father. She gently patted the bed and sighed in contentment when the wizard relaxed next to her.

"Lucius, I am your father. I promise to do my best in raising you to be the man I know you can be." Marguerite smiled knowing her husband's belief in what their son would become was firmly grounded.

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Lucius Malfoy was a precocious boy. He ran through the Manor and asked the portraits questions. His early years were spent enjoying the life of a pampered boy. At four years old his life was altered. He and his mother were settled in the gardens when Marguerite drew the young boy's attention to a rose bush. Lucius didn't hear a word of what his mother said but watched a story play before his eyes.

_A blonde witch knelt in front of the same rose bush and clipped eleven of the roses. The stems were extremely long and she took great care to remove the thorns and the unnecessary leaves. The witch waved her wand over the roses and the flowers seemed to brighten. The roses were wrapped with a black silken ribbon. As the witch made to stand, a hand appeared to assist her. _

_"__Thank you. Is this what she wanted?" For the first time a wizard appeared. He was trying to remain stoic but it seemed he was unable to hold his emotions in check and tears began to slip down his cheeks. "Oh Lucius." The witch pulled the wizard into her arms._

Marguerite had immediately noticed when her son's attention had wavered. She hadn't seen the expression on her son's face before, but both her husband and father-in-law had it on numerous occasions. "Come along Lucius, I think you and your father need to spend some time together today." Marguerite led the boy to his father's study and whispered the words Abraxas had longed to hear.

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Lucius learned to be neither seen nor heard. He would settle himself in a dark corner of his grandfather's study and watch as his grandfather and father had meetings with people. He would watch the stories play out in his mind and then tell his father what he saw. As he grew older, he took to detailing the images in writing and providing those to his father. At nine he was presented a leather bound journal with his initials in gilded gold. The journal was linked to a similar one his father had. Abraxas showed Lucius the journals that lined the walls of his office. Each journal contained the thoughts of countless generations of Malfoys.

Abraxas explained the journals detailed all the family visions with the exception of personal ones. Lucius didn't understand what a personal vision was and was simply told the first time he had one, he would know and he would keep those close to his heart until it was time. Lucius took the vague command to heart and never brought the topic up again.

It was only a few months later that Lucius had the first vision he didn't wish to share with his father. It was of a dark hair witch playing in her family garden. She was light and happy and Lucius knew she was something to him. He just didn't know what.

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Visions of the dark haired witch continued and he found himself discovering more and more about the girl. She was the youngest of three girls. She was powerful for her age. She enjoyed reading and playing in the sun. Flowers seem to respond to her mere presence. Nothing of significance really, until the day Lucius received his letter for Hogwarts.

_Lucius settled into his seat at the Slytherin table and watched as the first years were led into the Great Hall for the sorting. The first few students were sorted to other houses before Slytherin gained its first new member. The young witch with impossibly black hair smiled and made her way to the table. Narcissa Black seemed to be the point in the universe where his attention wanted to focus._

_The sorting continued and Slytherin had gained quite a few members much to the chagrin of those blasted Gryffindors. Lucius watched as the hat sent another boy to their family. Having been focused on Narcissa Black, he had missed the name but the boy was wearing old robes and seemed to be out of place. Lucius heard the whispers almost immediately. "He is a half blood, his mother was a Prince and ran off with a muggle." Lucius watched as the boy settled at the end of the table and didn't make any attempt to befriend those around him._

Blinking Lucius realized he was still holding his letter and grabbed his journal. Quickly detailing the vision and asking his father for a time to discuss the Black and Prince families. As Lucius was watching his thirteen year old self, Abraxas was having his own vision. This was a bit darker and more deadly. It was time to remind Lucius the reason the Malfoy family had been gifted. And why that gift remains a secret to those outside of the family.

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Two days and countless visions later, Abraxas and Nicholas were settled the elder wizard's study and waited for Lucius. "This is a different situation than before Abraxas. I cannot see how this will end." Abraxas sighed knowing how telling the statement was.

"I cannot see the end either father." The elder Malfoy looked to his son with shock. "I see the potential for us to be fine but it's tenuous." The two men began to detail their individual visions in the hope of finding overlap. Lucius entered his grandfather's tense study with no idea what he was supposed to do.

"Grandfather, Father. Mother said you had requested me." The young man, now eleven years old and a month away from starting Hogwarts, looked to the two men he idolized and waited quietly as they finished writing.

"Yes, your grandfather and I have been looking for an answer but it is beyond our ability. We need you to look with us." This wasn't the first time Lucius had been asked to do this. It was upsetting for the child to think about a time when neither his grandfather nor father would be with him, but it was how the world was. Nodding to his father, Abraxas began to discuss the rise of a new dark wizard.

"A new dark wizard? Have there been many?" The question was asked with the naivety only a child could have. That innocence is lost when one sees just how dark and evil the world could be. Nicholas took the conversation and explained about Grindelwald's deeds. The young boy paled and looked extremely uncomfortable. Abraxas stood from behind the desk and motioned for them to move to more comfortable seating. After the move, Lucius seemed to come to himself and nodded to his grandfather to continue.

"You see, when Gellert was rallying for those to follow him, we were approached. What the wizard wanted was our name and vaults to give his movement some sort of legitimacy. I was still a young man, not yet graduated from Hogwarts, when he first arrived. My own father, grandfather and great-grandfather met with him and allowed me to sit in. The visions the four of us had were awful and while they are detailed in our journals, it is not something to be read. To this day, I am shocked at what I saw." Nicholas slowly raised from the chair and walked toward the mantle for a moment to compose himself.

Lucius had spent time learning about his family's role in the past but this dark wizard's story was not in the books. Abraxas, sensing his son's curiosity and father's need for a moment, redirected the conversation. "Grindelwald succeeded in some of his goals and it's a black mark on the history of the wizarding world. Many followed from all countries and found themselves on the wrong end of his wand. His story is not told publicly. The Ministry claims the story is too dark and will lead others to follow his beliefs. I am of the opinion that withholding the story will provide those who think his methods were acceptable. We must always learn from our history, our mistakes to ensure they are never repeated. But, my opinion on such matters is moot due to various factors. But the books related to this are here, just masked until you are a bit older to understand."

Nicholas had found the conversation between his son and grandson interesting. The pair were closer at this age than he and Abraxas were. Nicholas believed this to be a good thing. "Carrying on, we requested time to fully understand his vision. While Gellert was powerful, he knew there would be a large backlash if he went against us publicly. After many visions, my grandfather decided the family would not be positioned in the best possible place if we agreed to support him. The Malfoy family remained neutral."

The young wizard looked to his father and grandfather with a bit of understanding. "You are asking me to use my ability to see if this dark wizard is any better for our family." It wasn't a question but a statement that proved the boy was growing quickly and would soon fall into his responsibility. The elder nodded. "Have I met this man before?"

"No, he has not visited us yet. He is abroad currently rallying for support and finding it difficult. Those who he courts remember Grindelwald and want nothing to do with this new wizard. He gets more and more enraged with each denial. When he returns, we will need to have our decision in place." Lucius understood the importance of what he was being asked. "You simply need to focus on the future and if a vision is not of a man named Voldemort, pass it over. The visions will remain for viewing later. Try to speak what you are seeing, it will take a great bit of concentration, but you can do it. I know how powerful you are." Lucius's eyes flashed to his grandfather in surprise before they fluttered shut. The visions began to play out before him in rapid speed. It seemed his magic knew what needed to be seen and finding the important bits. They were only slow enough for Lucius to speak what he was seeing before the next one started.

_His grandfather's death at the hand of a dark haired man who cared not one whit about anything other than his own desire._

_His father being forced to take the other man's mark over the still warm but dead body of his father._

_His own initiation. The pain seared through his body with an agonizing scream. _

_The aftermath of the death and destruction the man had mandated._

_The disappearance of the man and the relief that filled the Malfoy home once more. _

_The attempt by the Ministry to convict Abraxas and Lucius of things they had done.  
Their escape and just how close they were to being found guilty._

_The looks of the public as the Malfoy family began to lose their status. _

_The return of the man and how quickly things turned worse than before._

_More death. More destruction. More parts of Lucius's soul destroyed._

_His father's death, not by dragon pox as reported, but at the hand of the now bald wizard._

_Lucius's own conviction and arrival at Azkaban. Then there was nothing._

"No, we cannot support this man, but how do we stop it?" Nicholas and Abraxas agreed with youngest Malfoy.

"We are not sure yet, but now that we have a decision we can begin to prepare. This is the most important part of being a Malfoy, son. Continue to focus on things you can change and keep me informed of your visions."

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Lucius took those words to heart, he observed those around him, he documented what he saw and heard, and he thought about his options. Finally, half way through his second year his idea took hold. While he didn't much care for those whose parents weren't magical, it didn't mean they weren't a needed part of society. While the Malfoy family was the pinnacle there had to be those below in order to raise themselves higher.

It was subtle at first, he began to partner in classes with his classmates who weren't considered pureblood. While Nicholas and Abraxas both attempted to avoid associating with others who weren't pureblooded, Lucius found the half bloods in his class enjoyable. He learned a bit about the muggle world and while it wasn't the stories of people living in filth, Lucius didn't feel the need to explore what he had learned. He did understand a child's love of their parents and realized all children were the same.

By the end of his second year, Lucius had gained a bit of power within the house and knew the first years would all follow him along with a good few of the second years. Over the summer he would strengthen his position so by the start of the next term he would be able to act.

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Abraxas had been surprised when Lucius began to ask about the Prince family. Eileen Prince was a few years younger than himself and married a muggle. After a bit of research, Abraxas found Eileen had been banished from the family. It appeared the Prince line was officially dead; however, Eileen had a son who would be starting Hogwarts a couple of years after Lucius.

The family struggled but appeared to have enough for food and whatnot. The witch was miserable but believed in the sanctity of marriage. Abraxas sighed at her stubborn nature, it seemed not much had changed over the years. The boy appeared to be incredibly intelligent and basically alone. As Abraxas expected, the Snape family home was in a muggle part of town and was more than a bit run down. The boy had one friend in the area, a girl who was a witch. She was a muggleborn for sure, but from what Abraxas had discovered, she seemed to quite powerful for a child without the privilege of family teachings.

Lucius had already commented on being a friend and protector to Severus. Abraxas smiled at the realization his son was following in the Malfoy footsteps and gaining support from his peers. Peers who would be running the wizarding world in a decade or two.

After experiencing so many versions of future the Malfoy personal beliefs were slightly altered but didn't really change. In the end they were Malfoy and still stood at the pinnacle of society.

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Lucius watched his vision play out the first night of his third year. Narcissa Black was sorted into the house and settled herself at the end of the table waiting for the next first year. Lucius knew there would be more so he continued to watch the young witch as she looked eagerly around the room. His gaze met hers and before she looked away, he sent her a charming smile and she blushed.

From there his plan quickly became successful, as he befriended Severus and began his quest for Narcissa, Lucius slowly gained more allies from his house. There were whispers about the so called Dark Lord but Lucius didn't get involved. He listened and watched the future of those in the house. Most of them wouldn't survive and Lucius started to deviate his visions to show who would be helpful to save. Very few of his housemates had redeeming qualities and after letters with his father, it was determined to allow fate to run her course with them.

Abraxas waited until just before the Christmas holidays to address the Narcissa question with his son. The letter simply asked if he wanted to give Narcissa a meaningful gift at Yule. He was thirteen and the thought of marriage was scary for the boy but he had the knowledge of just what his life would be like with Narcissa and he wanted it. He his response was to agree he would be inclined to such a gift and asked his mother to think what would be appropriate given their age. Once home, he was given the option to present it or hold it for the future. The bracelet was delicate and would work now and quite a few years down the road.

While he didn't present Narcissa with a courting gift that Yule, his request to his grandfather was accepted and the Black and Prince families were invited to dinner one night over the holidays. As Lucius came to expect, Severus's mother declined but allowed Severus to attend. The boy arrived in tattered robes and was so embarrassed he almost left. It was Lucius's mother who pulled the boy to the side and offered him the protection of the Malfoy home. It was obvious the boy was not cared by his own and there was a strong possibility he was abused because of his magic. The boy felt the warmth and safety of Mrs. Malfoys magic and gave into his emotions for the first time in years. After a good cry, Marguerite led Severus upstairs and the pair found a set of Lucius's robes from his first year that would fit Severus perfectly. The boy looked at the robes and thanked his friend's mother.

Dinner was surprisingly awkward, Abraxas and Lucius had a series of visions when the Black family arrived. Both had visions of the demented creature that was Bella Black. The girl's current appearance didn't truly match the witch who took perverse pleasure in killing but there was a similarity in her eyes. It was clear she was mad. Andromeda Black brought another series of visions that brought Lucius sadness. He liked the witch and was sad to see what her decisions would do to their friendship and to Narcissa personally. Abraxas had his first true visions of Narcissa and knew she would make his son happy.

Cygnus Black watched the Malfoy family with a fake imperial expression. The Black family was old but had started to show their age over the previous generations. While his brother was the head of the Black family, Cygnus knew those boys wouldn't continue the family line. He had met a witch with the gift of divination. She had said the future of Black blood flowed through his daughters. The family name would fall into his line eventually. He worried about Bella, he had noticed her crazed behavior and feared the family madness was in her. His only hope was to get her betrothed before it became public. Maybe he could get her linked to the Malfoy boy. That fix a world of problems.

By the end of the dinner it was clear where Lucius's intentions lie. Cygnus and Abraxas went off to the study to discuss things while the rest of the family relaxed in the parlor. Marguerite wasn't impressed with Druella Black. The pair had quite a history; Druella believed she would be the next lady Malfoy and never believed Abraxas was betrothed when he would brush her off during their school years. Druella believed him to be lying as none of the other girls were his so it was obvious he was available. Who would marry a witch that wasn't a Slytherin. When the announcement of the wedding was made, Druella was furious and found Cygnus Black. It was a ploy to make Abraxas jealous but it backfired when she turned up pregnant a month later. A quick wedding was planned and suddenly the witch was expected to be a wife to the crumbling Black family.

At the end of the evening, Abraxas and Cygnus had an agreement, the betrothal would remain sealed until Narcissa reached her fifteenth birthday. Abraxas got Cygnus to swear an unbreakable oath to not tell any one of the arrangement to ensure Narcissa's continued safety. As far as Druella and the other daughters were concerned, no agreement had been reached.

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Lucius didn't knew where the years had gone but he was suddenly in his sixth year and timing of his awful vision was quickly approaching. Whispers of dark magic and powerful wielders were murmured between all the students and it was one random afternoon when Lucius had an unexpected vision. It revolved around the one friend Severus had from before Hogwarts. The muggleborn was quite intelligent and her house seemed to suit her. It seemed the bully of their year had set his sights on the girl but she remained firm in her rejection of him. Lucius and Narcissa were on a blanket reading to each other when a mighty row kicked off. It seemed the bully had again attempted to get the girl on his side; Severus stood in her defense. The bully's response was to attack Severus directly. Lucius knew this wasn't the first time, but it was the first time he had done it public. Before Lucius could stand Severus was hanging upside down and the Malfoy heir was incensed. The Slytherin House watched to see what would happen, all knew Severus Snape was under the protection of the Malfoy House.

Lucius quickly regained Severus' wand and pulled the boy behind him. It was then the bully and his three friends turned toward whoever had stopped their fun. Lucius stood proud with the majority of Slytherin House behind him, merely cocked his head to the side. The bully turned and ran with his tail between his legs. The last of the four, the short and fat one, looked to Lucius with a bit of envy before he too ran. It was then Lucius had his vision.

Narcissa had seen Lucius doing this during their courtship but it rarely happened at school. She slipped her hand in his and lifted to her toes and brushed her lips across his cheek. While everyone was watching her, they all missed the dazed look in the wizard's eyes. When it was over, Lucius smirked to the beautiful witch at his side and smiled back at her. She knew it was a thank you for helping him, immediately he decided it was time tell her the family secret.

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After leaving the green with Narcissa, Lucius settled into his room and began to write about the vision he had seen. If there was no change to the future, a Gryffindor traitor would be the cause of many of the atrocities they Malfoy men saw. Lucius was light on details regarding the Gryffindors in play now, but noted the future of the Potter heir and his apparent wife played a large role. Their deaths and the survival of their son would be widely proclaimed as evidence of the dark nature of the so called Dark Lord. A fully grown wizard being defeated by a mere babe was not something to follow proudly. That event escalated the downfall of the Malfoy family in the eyes of the public.

The traitor would not turn until they were out of school, which would be the same year as Narcissa so there was time to figure out the importance of the Potter family to the survival of the Malfoys. It also allowed time to determine if any of the planned changes would impact their future as well.

After reading Lucius's visions, Abraxas called for his father and the pair decided Lucius needed to be home as they worked through the future. With a quick lie to the headmaster, Lucius was home and the trio set up in Nicholas's study. After a series of visions showing what would happen if the family sided with the up and coming dark wizard, Lucius commented on how in a number of visions the man provided the family a token of appreciation that was somehow quite meaningful to the man.

Agreeing it would be important to focus on the tokens, the Malfoys set about finding a future where all three men survived the first meeting. Once settling on a plan, the visions began to settle more and more. It took the men all night before Lucius viewed the final battle. The younger Malfoy had bed quiet for a bit before he began to relay the vision. Abraxas listened as his son, his heir, his boy, do things no one should have to do. The one word to pass his lips clearly and loudly was horcrux. Nicholas immediately jumped and began to pull various journals and books from the library.

In reality, Nicholas had heard the word and knew if the items were truly horcrux it would be vitally important to ensure all were destroyed before the monster could be killed. No one who had created an object that dark could be considered anything but a monster. The family journals made mention of how extremely potent venom should dissolve a horcrux or being burned by fiendfyre. There was a mention that a living being could be one and only their death would destroy the horcrux.

With a plan in place, Lucius returned to Hogwarts and began his small part in the weeks leading to the end of the year. The meeting would occur the first weekend after Hogwarts let out. Over the subsequent days, the vision played out again and again for each of the men with no variation.

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_Tom Riddle strode into Wiltshire knowing he would have the Malfoy name and vaults behind him before the end of the day. The Blacks happily agreed to join his ranks recently but he'd not yet meet the head of the house yet, but he'd become acquainted with the eldest daughter. Her comments about the Black family aligned with what he remembered from Hogwarts, they were older and more storied than the Malfoy family. She took it upon herself to sway her father and she provided him their support in the form of a letter. _

_With the Black family onside, it would be easy to get the rest of the families to join and if not, he wasn't above a threat or murder to get people to see things his way. He thought nothing of these people, in fact they were part of the reason why he wanted power. They needed to kneel before him. He needed their vaults more than their loyalty._

_Being directed by a Malfoy elf to a private study, he was met with the remaining families of the Sacred 28 and others who were just as powerful. His speech was well rehearsed and flawless as he smoothly laid out his plans for ridding the world of those unworthy of magic. While half-bloods would remain, they would need to prove themselves but could never achieve much. All the power and money would be with those pure of blood. _

_Lord Voldemort continued his speech and began to set five objects on the table. They seemed to be very ordinary but his gaze proved how important to him these items were. As he spoke he mentioned how the Black family had agreed to join his movement and were to be provided two tokens of his esteem. Cygnus and Bella were called forward. It surprised many when Bella was called but that confusion was ended when they saw Bella flaunt herself. Druella hissed quietly at her daughter's actions and the embarrassment it brought to the house. Cygnus was given a cup and Bella a ring. She was warned to never wear the ring as it was cursed. _

_The Malfoy, Selwyn and Rockwood families were next asked. When they each agreed they received a token as well. The tokens were a book to Malfoys, a necklace to the Selwyns, and a diadem to the Rockwoods. When the next family, the Averys, were called forward to pledge themselves, Lord Voldemort admitted to not expecting so many to join this day. He promised he'd whip up a token for them and the others in short order. It was important, he said, to ensure everyone knew how thankful he was to have found such like minded people he could call his friends._

_Lucius set himself directly behind Narcissa and Andi. The witches wondered why Lucius wasn't with his father and grandfather. They believed to have figured out the answer when Lucius slipped Narcissa's hand into his own. There was a sudden screech, people trying to leave, and a painful scream. Lucius pulled Narcissa and Andi behind him and erected the strongest shield he knew. Those two had to survive._

_A scream of 'No it's mine' tore through the room as a green shot of light ripped through the study before a battle started. If one listened you could hear hisses and pops but the noise of spells and destruction covered that and the origin of the painful screams. _

_The room was in confusion until Lord Voldemort weakly stood and demanded to know what happened. He pointed his wand at Nicholas Malfoy who smirked and dropped the fifth item into a bowl of water which immediately began to bubble as the item was destroyed. Lord Voldemort screamed again and fell to the ground. Without a thought Nicholas shot an avada and ended what could have been the start of a dark time for all of the wizarding world._

_As Nicholas ordered people to tend the wounded and identify the dead, he explained who Lord Voldemort was and what the tokens were. Bella yelled in frustration and killed the man who had killed her lover before being put down by her youngest sister._

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After the first night of the terrifying vision, Lucius knew they needed to do something to ensure Narcissa wouldn't have to be the one to kill Bella. Conversation after conversation occurred between the three men in their journals. After seeing various beginning, middle and endings, it was decided the only two that needed to die that day would be Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Black. Neither could be saved. Once the men made their decision the future was again solid and Abraxas invited a small group of the remaining Sacred 28 and others were called to Malfoy Manor.

The group spent the afternoon discussing who they had each received a request from Lord Voldemort to meet with him. Each was unsure what they would do. Once everyone had admitted they were not completely comfortable with what they had heard, Avery admitted knowing who Lord Voldemort was and just how dangerous the man would now be.

Nicholas took the floor and admitted his family's concerns over backing a dark wizard and specifically this dark wizard. He admitted his desire for a more secure wizarding world, but wasn't ready to back the wholesale murder of people. With a sly smile he asked how you had royalty without peasants. And if the royalty became soldiers for a half-blood of no great means, what did that say about their families. Were they better than any other infantry solider? No, no they weren't.

It was then the families realized just what was at stake. It wasn't a difficult discussion and when Abraxas offered to use the Manor the families agreed to meet as a group to determine how much of a threat the man was. If they believed he was dangerous, they would agree to join and then work out how to destroy their "leader" later. They thought it would be safer if they were in it together and try to fight right away. The Malfoys already had a plan that would be put into play as soon as the tokens were distributed.

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Tom Riddle strode into Wiltshire knowing he would have the Malfoy name behind him before the end of the day. The Blacks had written and happily agreed to join his ranks. It wasn't surprising since he'd already met with one of the daughters. Based on the girl's comments and his memories from Hogwarts, the Blacks were more storied than the Malfoy family. It would be easy to get the Malfoys to join and if not, he wasn't above a murder to get people to see things his way.

What he hadn't expected was to be met with the remaining families of the Sacred 28 and other powerful families. His speech was flawless as he smoothly laid out his plans for ridding the world of those unworthy of magic. While half-bloods would remain, they would need to prove themselves but could never achieve much. Those that didn't meet the standard or were blood traitors would be disposed of quickly. Muggleborns did not deserve a comment as they would just be killed for their stealing of magic. All the power and money would be with those pure of blood.

As Lord Voldemort, as he asked to be called, spoke eloquently of his plans, none believed what he said. Each person looked to Avery who gave the signal confirming the man was Tom Riddle and not some powerful pure blood with a desire to cleanse the wizarding world named Lord Voldemort. He was simply a man who wanted power and would get it anyway he could. The Gaunt family had no prestige or power, just an old family with the ability to speak to snakes. No one was impressed with his lineage.

Lord Voldemort continued his speech and began to set five objects on the table. They seemed to be very ordinary but his gaze proved how important to him these items were. As he spoke he mentioned how the Black family had agreed to join his movement and were to be provided two tokens of his esteem. Cygnus and Bella were called forward to accept the items. It surprised many when Bella was called but that confusion was ended when they saw Bella flaunt herself. No one heard Druella and Lucius knew it wouldn't much matter how she acted in about half an hour. Cygnus was given a cup and Bella a ring. She was warned to never wear the ring as it was cursed. Both agreed, with Bella swearing, to protect the item.

Lucius watched the vision played out and as they hoped, everything was going to plan so far. The Malfoy, Selwyn and Rockwood families were next asked. When they each agreed they received a token as well. The book, the locket, and the diadem were safely in the hands of the conspirators. When the next family, the Averys, were called forward to pledge themselves, Lord Voldemort admitted to not expecting so many to join this day. He promised he'd whip up a token for them and the others in short order. It was important, he said, to ensure everyone knew how thankful he was to have found such like minded people he could call his friends.

Lucius changed where he stood and had subtly moved Narcissa and Andi into a position where they wouldn't have to witness what was about to happen. The witches wondered why Lucius was acting so strangely but their concern was apparently answered when Lucius slipped Narcissa's hand into his own. The positions of others were slightly altered as well. Bella ended up standing directly in front of Nicholas.

There was a sudden screech, people trying to leave, and a painful scream. Lucius erected the strongest shield he knew and started to pluck the tokens from the other families. With a scream of 'No it's mine' a shot of green light ripped through the study and then a dull thud. As Lucius took each token he dropped them into a bowl where they hissed and screamed until they were no more. Four of the tokens were gone before the initial screams died away.

The room was in confusion until Lord Voldemort weakly stood and demanded to know what happened. He pointed his wand at Nicholas Malfoy who merely smirked and dropped the fifth item into a bowl of clear liquid which immediately began to bubble as the item was destroyed. Lord Voldemort screamed again and fell to the ground. Without a thought Nicholas shot sent the killing curse and ended the half life the demented wizard had created for himself and stopped what would have been the start of a dark time for all of the wizarding world.

As Nicholas ordered people to tend the wounded and identify the dead. In the end there were two deaths, Bella Black and Tom Riddle. When Nicholas ran a diagnositc spell to determine who killed the young witch it was found to be Tom Riddle. He blindly started to throw avadas as he felt his horcruxes being destroyed.

The death of the man who claimed the title of Lord was announced three weeks later. There was a flurry of confusion on how such a strong wizard was killed, but no further details were released. The paper simply reported his death was due to his failure in creating an object so imbrued with dark magic it had actually killed its creator. At least that was what the Ministry reported. The elder Rockwood held a powerful position and was able to spin the tale as it was needed.

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As was true every where, there were rumors about powerful families. After the unexpected demise of the dark wizard, the magicals of Britain began to whisper about those who may have pledged themselves to the now dead wizard. With the man's death there was no evidence of their allegiance, only rumors. Those rumors were quickly forgotten when the next bit of juicy news was reported in the Prophet. By the time Lucius married Narcissa four years later, the Malfoy family was viewed as one of the most forward thinking of families. Lucius had started a potion business with his friend Severus and proved to the wizarding world the Malfoy family didn't waste their time with blood status. Severus was an expert in potions and proved success was based on hard work and desire by the person. The business gained a quick following due to Severus's modifications of established potions. Most of the suggestions were detailed in the NEWT potions book that sat proudly on the man's bookshelf.

A few later, Lucius was shown his first glimpse of his future daughter-in-law.

_She was a powerful, intelligent and loyal witch. _

_She would be the only student ranked above Draco. _

_She was the head girl to Draco's head boy. _

_The students celebrated their graduation on the lawn of the castle with their families and friends._

_Draco approached the brunette witch and dropped to his knee. "Hermione, would you do me the great honor of accepting this token of my love? This token that represents my desire to spend the rest of my days with you? Will you accept my pledge of love and loyalty? Will you be my wife?"_

_The witch in question was at a loss for words but nodded eagerly as Draco slipped the ring on her finger. He stood and embraced his witch before kissing her._

Lucius smiled and told Narcissa of his vision. His son's happiness would overshadow any political machinations he could design. Abraxas and Nicholas stood in the hall and waited to meet the newest Malfoy. Those in the hall quietly discussed when Draco's visions would start and what would they be. As they stood in the hall, Narcissa gently kissed Lucius as she rocked her newborn son to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Body Issue

_**A/N: This is one that just made me laugh. Hopefully the descriptions are sufficient for you to see the scene (specifically Draco). This is probably one of my favorites. First three years of school, let's say ran pretty much as the books describe. Some changes happen in year 4 forward, but you'll have to read to see what.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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Hermione tried to avert her gaze, but it was impossible. His hair was perfectly wind swept, as if he had just chased down the snitch, except he'd arrived by the floo hours earlier. His grey eyes sparkled with happiness, beneath that was a touch of mischievousness and something else Hermione couldn't quite understand. The tip of his pink tongue continued to poke out and run along the edge of his lower lip. In an effort to not stare, Hermione's gaze dropped to his chest. She wondered if he was as firm under the light weight jumper as he appeared. The man, she had to admit they were all adults now, had grown the most since she first saw him as a scrawny eleven year old.

Twenty-five year old Draco Malfoy was still lean, but lean did not mean scrawny and no one could accuse the former Slytherin of being scrawny any more. The rumor mill said his change was due entirely to work ethic on and off the pitch. She wondered just how seriously he took his training. If the reported stories were true, he was one of the most dedicated and intense players in the world spending twelve hours a day training during the season. The off season was split into two times, right after the season when he would recover from any lingering aches and pains on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The rest of the off season was focused on training and practicing his form. Only giving himself an eight hour break each day. Those eight hours included eating, sleeping and catching up on his reading. Just as he was at Hogwarts, Draco was a voracious reader.

Hermione's gaze continued on this southerly journey. She noticed how his chest tapered at his waist, she wondered how his skin would taste as she traced each of his abs, with her tongue. Those thoughts would not help her situation, she sat on the couch, in an effort to relieve the pressure building. Her eyes lingered a moment longer before moving past his belt buckle and reaching the region where the majority of her curiosity lay. With barely a glance, she forced her eyes a touch lower and his incredible thighs. They were strong, hours a day spent gripping a broomstick tend to give a man amazingly toned legs. While his legs were still under his perfectly pressed slacks, she could make out the curve of his calves. Hermione's focus and thoughts were pulled from her fantasies when the man cleared his throat.

By the time Hermione realized what was going on, he had turned to face the other side of the room. Slower than she was proud to admit, she realized his jumper had already been removed and set, folded, on the couch. Then, in a move that makes every woman swoon, his long fingers reached for the back of his white t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Hermione wasn't sure what noise she made, but she knew she made some noise acknowledging the man was because he stiffened only for a moment before throwing a heated glance over his, now bare, shoulder.

Hermione watched as the T-shirt was folded and laid gently on top of the sweater. His back muscles rippled as he twisted, bent and moved. When he began to open those perfectly tailored slacks, Hermione stopped thinking. As they dropped to the floor the witch found herself staring directly at what might be the most perfect bum she'd seen on a man. A perfect silk-covered bum flexing has he lifted his leg to remove then from his slacks.

A groan escape her lips as he bent down to pick up his pants, folding them carefully to ensure there were no wrinkles and set them on top of the stack with his t-shirt and sweater. He removed his socks and turned toward the witch whose gaze hadn't left the man's bum and now found herself looking directly where she had so purposely avoided before. He twitched. She jumped from the couch to stand. Eye to eye the pair stared at each other. Whatever emotion hid under his happy mischievous side was now on full display. Hermione's thighs clenched tightly and his oh-so pink tongue slid fully along his lower lip.

"Before we go any further, let's talk a bit about the poses. Yes?" To his credit, Draco Malfoy accepted the condition and stepped to couch nearest the witch. The witch, who incidentally fascinated him for the majority of his school years, hell the majority of his life at this point, was staring wide eyed at his chest and seemed to be battling with herself. He smirked and knew agreeing to this was a brilliant idea. He wizard, ever the gentleman these days, motioned toward the couch and he watched as she sat almost robotically. Draco sat within reaching distance to the witch and was assaulted with his own thoughts on their tumultuous history.

At eleven, he had been curious about the girl until he discovered she was a muggleborn. Being raised as he was, he knew they could never be friends. His father wouldn't allow it. He would have been fine just ignoring the girl while imaging how wonderful it would be to study with her and push each other to better results. When she befriended the Boy-Who-Lived-to-Annoy and his ginger shadow, Draco knew there could never be a relationship between them. It wasn't until she insulted his ability to get on the school team in second year that he'd say he actually hated her. That hatred lasted until third year when he saw just what happened when he allowed his mouth to run. He had sought her out and apologized for what he'd done. In the end, the pair agreed that having a hippogriff with a bunch of third years was not the best decision but it wasn't the creature's fault.

"What would you like to discuss Hermione? I think it's pretty straight forward. At least how you described it to me. I strip and you take pictures. What's so _hard_ about that?"

Hermione swore she heard a little too much emphasis when he said hard_._ Her eyes slid shut as she felt the heat pouring off the nearly naked wizard next to her. She felt him shift and his arm drape across her shoulders. She would swear to have felt his fingers lightly pulling the curls that had escaped from her bun. When his warm breath washed over her cheek, her mind idly thought how she would have never imagined doing this for a living.

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Four years after graduating Hogwarts, Hermione found herself bored. She had scored some of the highest NEWT scores ever and got a pick of jobs at the Ministry. However, what she found out later was, all the great opportunities were entry level (or lower) grunt work. The Ministry had to look like it was progressive and hiring Hermione was a publicity tactic only. She hated her job.

During one of the semimonthly gatherings of the graduating class of 1998, Hermione had been complaining once more about her job. Not realizing anyone other than Harry and Ron were listening, Draco Malfoy popped his head in the conversation and asked why Hermione didn't just move into the private sector. He continued to explain the real work, the real ability to help and educate came from those who did it themselves, not relying on the Ministry. When Hermione didn't respond, Draco shrugged and returned to his previous conversation. Hermione didn't respond because she was shocked on multiple levels. None of her friends ever thought to advise her to leave the Ministry. There was more than the Ministry for her and once it was out there, the thought was the most obvious thing in the world.

After having a few more drinks with the group, Hermione returned to her small apartment and pulled out her guilty pleasure. Muggle magazines and Hermione's mum had sent a batch that day. Hermione could of course go and get them, but her hours at the Ministry were long and when they were over she was exhausted. Hermione poured herself a glass of wine and opened the one on top. Hours later, Hermione closed the third magazine and knew she had to get some sleep. Her feet dragged as she walked down the hall. Her mum knew Hermione would binge-read the magazines and refused to send them until Friday afternoon to ensure her daughter had the weekend to read, relax and catch up on her sleep.

As Hermione fell into her bed, she cursed the wizarding world for not wanting to advance and for still looking down on the muggle world. Muggles weren't hunted or shunned, but they weren't really accepted either. Their unfortunate lack of magic would continue to cause a touch of fear for those with magic. Sighing she settled her head on her pillow and thought again how nice it would be if she could pick up a silly but informative magazine whenever she wanted at the local bookshop or apothecary or even Ministry cafeteria.

When Hermione woke the next morning, she wasn't too hungover and had the same thought running through her head as it had the night before. "Why couldn't I? I'd just need to find someone or a few someone's who could help me get it off the ground." Hermione spent the morning planning. By lunchtime she had a list of other muggleborns and half-bloods who were completely comfortable in both the wizarding and muggle worlds. If they thought the idea had merit, she would focus the rest her weekend on putting together a proposal.

Dean Thomas was her first port of call. From when he discovered he was a wizard until he was seventeen, the man thought he was a muggleborn. When he reached adulthood the Ministry decided he was old enough to know about his father. It turned out the man was actually a pureblood Spanish wizard who had been on holiday and had no idea Dean existed. Dean's father was quite pleased to have an heir he didn't have to raise. To show his pleasure, the updated will included Dean and his father left the majority of his legacy to the now discovered (adult) heir.

Dean agreed the ability to get magazines regularly would be great. He ended up visiting his mum once a week to pick up his own favorites and was a bit jealous he hadn't thought about asking his mum to just send them like Hermione had done. A pair laughed for a bit and made a list of magazines and topics they'd like to see. Neither were interested in gossip, the "newspaper" did a fine job of that. Instead they wanted something that talked about sports, entertainment, informative articles and the like. Like when Draco made the obvious point about Hermione doing something outside of the Ministry, Dean gave Hermione the focus on what she would do when he asked why she couldn't write the stories herself.

Hermione admitted to liking the idea, but didn't want it to be like the Quibbler. She loved Luna, but if she published a magazine, she wanted it to focus on many things and not just one topic only a few found interesting. That was the next thing she needed to work out. If she did publish a magazine, what would it be? How could she make everyone happy every month? She didn't know. All she did know was she was looking forward to figuring it out.

Hermione's second through tenth ports of call were the rest of the classmates she'd identified. They all had interesting ideas on what they would want. Some wanted suggestions for fixing problems, others wanted to know what would be popular, some wanted a way to keep up on current events not covered by the wireless, and the wants went on and on.

After the discussions and spending the remainder of the weekend planning, Hermione had an idea for a monthly magazine tackling most of the wants by only dedicating a page or so to each topic. These would be quick write-ups related to but not the focus of the magazine. These would be areas the readers would come to expect in every issue. Each month the magazine would tackle a different main topic and have multiple stories on different aspects. She set up meetings over the following couple of weeks and found her ideas to meet with the approval of those with more influence than she had. It was daunting, but after a month of work and some surprising backers Hermione decided she needed to do it or give up the idea. The next morning the witch handed in her resignation. She knew she could do this.

That night, at the semimonthly gathering, Hermione announced her resignation and her closest friends were shocked, they had no idea what she would do. None of them would have much of an idea what her plans were, let alone what they would entail. Harry, Merlin love him, was ignorant of most things muggle. The people who raised him had done a number on him and in response he turned his back on the muggle world. His only indulgence to the world of his mother's birth was the little red coupe he used to speed through country lanes. Ron would just want to hear about the Canons and that wasn't what this was going to be. Ginny, while she didn't avoid the muggle world, she didn't seem to understand just how advanced it actually was.

While her closest friends were in shock, those who had been helping her were excitedly asking when the first issue would be published, had she identified the inaugural topic, when did she think it would be delivered and what else had made the cut. Her backers stood at the fringe of the crowd and saw a real potential. Publishing books didn't always turn an immediate profit, but if this took off the potential could be quite high. Draco Malfoy stood a bit apart from the rest and watched Hermione as she happily smiled and answered questions. She only caught he gaze once and she smiled gratefully at the man who'd given her that first push.

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"While you won't be dressed, it's not like you're just going to stand there naked. The purpose of this month's magazine is to understand the beauty of the natural body. Don't expect there to be a centerfold with you laid out for the world to see." Draco pouted a little at the thought of him not being in the prominent location.

While Hermione was speaking she heard a pop but didn't acknowledge it as she was focused on not stumbling over her words. Draco's hand gave up its playful tugging with her curls and started to make gentle designs on her shoulder. Hermione relaxed ever so much into the warmth of his hand during the discussion; however, the witch and wizard straighten when they heard the elf's voice. "I should hopes my master isn't going to be a centerfold. Although, with him almost nudes, all these cameras and you talking about poses, I doubt you." Hermione turned to see a small elf in khaki shorts and a bright pink polo shirt tapping his leather boat shoe clad foot almost impatiently.

"Kitmu, what are you doing here? Didn't I ask for you to stay at the house today?" Draco seemed a bit perturbed at the elf who was almost glaring at the wizard.

"Yes, you did and what happens when I don't accompany you? You agreeings to do some dirty pictures with a witch. What will your mother say?" It seemed the pair was about to get into quite the argument when Hermione spoke up.

"Kitmu was it?" The elf focused on the witch who had moved forward on the couch, out of Draco's hold, and nodded his head once. It wasn't clear whether his nod was to acknowledge was her question or the fact Draco was no longer holding her. "What I said to Draco was true. The pictures will not show any of his, ummmm, unmentionable parts. If you'd like to stay, I don't have a problem with it. I'm sure you'd feel more comfortable watching and hearing what I'm trying to get on film. I'd also be happy for you look over the proofs once we finish." Hermione continued to look at the elf waiting for his decision. What she didn't see was Draco non-verbally telling his elf to go home and leave him with Hermione.

Kitmu didn't really care what was being pantomimed to him. "I agrees with that. Let's begin." Kitmu stepped to Hermione and led her to the couch across from where she'd been sitting next to Draco while Kitmu then settled himself next to the wizard. Hermione wasn't sure why the elf didn't like her, but she'd faced this sort of thing before.

"So what I was thinking was for Draco to be on his broom. I hope you can sit bare bottomed on it. I could add some cushioning spells or something. It's just each person posing will be doing something that represents them. For you, I thought it could be quidditch. We will have a few other players as well, but I think the readers would really enjoy some of the ideas I had." Hermione didn't say out loud that she'd enjoy the pictures as well. She wondered if the real pictures would compare to how she'd imagined them in the dark of her room.

"I'm good with that. Kitmu, you ok with this idea or can I make these decisions on my own?" The wizard seemed eager to start up the fight again when Hermione interrupted and started to explain her ideas. Both the wizard and the elf found them quite interesting and would definitely show off his body. After thirty minutes of discussing her ideas Draco stood. "I'm ready, let's go." Draco suddenly had his broom in his hand and had dropped his boxers. Hermione, in an effort to not upset the elf and kept her focus on Draco's face before looking to the ceiling and asking the now nude wizard to turn around. When she heard him huff she looked to the elf who nodded and let her know it would be safe to resume looking somewhere other than the fifth ceiling tile from the edge.

Hermione was again presented with a delectable bum and the wizard, whose bum it was, smirked over his shoulder. She suddenly had an idea. "Draco, don't move. I think for this first set of shots I want you to stay turned in that direction with your broom over your shoulder. Then we'll start to get the ones on your broom." Shrugging the wizard did as he was asked and turned his expression to one that caused the butterflies in Hermione's stomach to start fluttering. "That's great." Hermione suppressed a groan of pleasure before continuing. "Let's get on the broom but keep your back to me and rotate at your waist to look at the camera. Give me the look you give your competition just before you take off after the snitch."

Draco and Kitmu both looked a bit stunned at the image the witch presented and knew it would be an amazing shot. Draco continued to shift on the broom in order to give the camera different angles and for the most part his well known smirk on his face. Hermione had caught a couple of expressions that were a bit unguarded and immediately decided she'd not use those in the issue.

"Before you get off the broom, I want to get a side shot. One that looks like you're racing for the snitch with your hand extended. Kitmu, if you wouldn't mind making sure his bits are hidden? It will make what I have to do easier." As Hermione set up the camera at the perfect angle the elf looked to his master and ensured he didn't show of those family jewels. After what seemed like a thousand pictures, Hermione agreed to let him dismount.

"For this next set, let's have you mounting broom. If I took the shot from the side and below you, would the broom cover your manhood?" Draco snickered and looked between his broom and the appendage that had been pretty attentive all day.

"I think so, if not can't we photoshop it or something?"

Hermione had settled on the ground and was looking into her viewfinder to determine where Draco needed to stand when he asked that question. "Photoshop? What sort of things are you doing to have heard of photoshopping Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione chuckled to make sure he knew while she was curious, she was also joking.

"You pick these things up. I'm a world traveler Miss Granger, one who is also an active listener and mildly curious about things ignored during my childhood." Draco was staring down at the witch and wondered where she'd go next.

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Until Draco's fourth year, he'd never given much thought to a world that ascribed to the traditional pureblood ideology. His parents had taught him things, but they weren't as crazy as some of the boys he'd met first year. Most of Slytherin seemed to truly want to kill other children only because of their birth. Draco couldn't engage them in an intellectual discussion on the topic lest he be branded a blood traitor. It also didn't help most of those he knew weren't know for their intelligence. So he sat and watched. He learned the old beliefs were impossible in reality. One only had to look at examples of animal breeding or his mother's own family to know you can't keep everything inside a small circle.

During Draco's fourth year the Triwizard Tournament was held at Hogwarts and, as most expected, Harry-Bloody-Potter got his name pulled from the cup. Of course at the end of the year the explanation on how was quite obvious, one of their professors was actually a Death Eater working for Voldemort. Draco really wondered if Dumbledore was the best the Light had on offer or the old wizard had lost the plot. Anyone could have told you something was wrong with Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody.

The end of the tournament brought a few surprises to the wizarding world. The first was Voldemort still being around, body-less, but still a viable opponent. The second was how easily the aforementioned Death Eater was able to manipulate the final task. Again some began to ask if Dumbledore was getting too old for the responsibility. The third, final and most unexpected surprise was Voldemort destroying himself during the ritual intended to bring him back to life. It seemed whoever translated the runes from the ancient writings had mistakenly translated the rune for 'familiar' to 'enemy'. Since Harry was the farthest thing from a familiar, his blood changed the intent of the ritual. Instead of giving life it destroyed the items keeping the man alive and ended the sad existence of one Tom Riddle.

Rumors were strife over who Voldemort would have trusted to translate something so important. There weren't many Death Eaters with the sanity and knowledge to translate. The most prevalent belief revolved around the Malfoy family. Lucius had been a rather high ranking individual during the first war and as a seventh year student at Hogwarts, he scored an almost impossible result on his Ancient Runes NEWT. While they never said anything one way or the other, the public believed the family truly changed sides and only remained undercover in order to find a way to destroy Voldemort before things got bad again.

Draco slowly came out of his self imposed solitude. That is, he started to speak with students outside of Slytherin. The professors took the opportunity to pair Draco with a variety of other students and found when paired with Hermione Granger, their results bested anything done in the last decade. While the professors found the pair's arguments to be real, the topics weren't about blood supremacy but whichever subject they were studying. That was how the Slytherin House started to expand their social circles and think of themselves as part of Hogwarts and not just Slytherin.

After the end of his fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts, the Malfoys would take a long summer break. They would travel and visit some of the most desirable places in the wizarding world. At least that is what The Prophet reported. In reality, Narcissa had been able to reconnect with her sister and the pair started to rebuild their relationship. The summer trips the two families took were to some of the beautiful muggle sites in the world. They also were to show the Malfoys what happened to a society when a subset of the population was marginalized solely because of their birth. If the Malfoy family hadn't truly changed their beliefs, what they saw during those summers would have done it.

Draco returned each fall a bit more compassionate and understanding. Those years were spent trying to find a way to express his new outlook without it being seen as a publicity stunt. Every time Draco had an idea and would ask Lucius for assistance with the Ministry, the pair found the Ministry was more concerned with its appearance and keeping its coffers filled. By seventh year Draco was incredibly frustrated in his failure to get anyone with power to agree to assist him. During the Yule holidays of his seventh year, Draco made a decision and with his parent's approval, a number of charities intended to help anyone who needed it were established. The wizards assumed it was for the poor of the wizarding world, but in reality they helped magical and muggle the same. Draco didn't see why people should have to suffer if he could do something about it.

It took him almost seventeen years, but he learned the best way to do something, anything, was to do it your way and not rely or believe others would help out of the goodness of their hearts.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

The final set of shots were approaching and Hermione was getting nervous. The elf found the witch quite intelligent, but more so enjoyed how uncomfortable she was around Draco. Kitmu wondered if the pair had a history or if the witch just wished for something like that.

"Draco for this last shot…". Draco raised his hand to interrupt.

"Before we do your final shot, I have an idea I'd like to pass by you." Seeing Hermione nod, Draco continued. "What if we had some where I'm relaxing and reading. I'm pretty sure most of the world knows I'm a bookworm, it might be a nice unexpected shot." The potential image was beyond Hermione's wildest dreams when he pulled a Regency era book from his bag and a pair of reading glasses, well, Hermione almost melted. "I was thinking on the couch, with a leg bent, you know to hide my manhood." The wizard smiled wickedly as he kicked out on the couch and started reading. Hermione took more photos than she needed, but it was just too beautiful of a view to stop.

"I think I have enough now. So, for this last shot, it has the possibility to be a bit racier than the others." Licking her lips, Hermione calmed her breath. "What I'd like is for you is to sit on your broom facing me and lean forward while reaching your hand out." Draco was able to again get himself in position without flashing the witch more than his bum. Kitmu however saw an issue and began to protest as Hermione pulled a snitch from her bag. She gazed into her lens trying to not focus on the one area she'd love to study hands on, and placed the snitch directly over it. "Reach for the goal Draco." Hermione started taking pictures as she whispered her direction.

Without a second thought Draco's gaze hardened and he focused straight ahead. He wasn't looking at the snitch, he was trying to look through the camera and focus on Hermione. "Goals are always harder than just a snitch Granger. They take dedication and time, a snitch is luck and skill. What's your goal now?" Hermione didn't have an answer.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

After the final shot, Draco dressed much to Hermione's regret. The now well-dressed man offered Hermione dinner and a quiet place review the proofs with his elf. After a very lovely dinner where the conversation was on everything other than the magazine, Hermione made her way toward the back of the home. In the library Kitmu was finishing setting up a light table and beckoned Hermione to move along. The pair reviewed each of the proofs looking at multiple aspects. Hermione was looking at the composition, lighting, shadows, facial expressions and a dozen other things. Kitmu's review was more focused on what could or couldn't be seen in each photo. A large number of the proofs were set in the rejected pile. Kitmu requested those pictures be removed due to bits and pieces being seen. Hermione promised no one else would see them and set them in her bag.

At the end of the night, Hermione was sad to leave the library without the chance to explore it. She mumbled _'maybe someday'_ as she looked back and passed Draco. The wizard already had plans for the witch's next visit. And there would be a next visit.

At his floo, Draco gazed at the witch and smiled before leaning towards her. "Today was a pleasure." When he pulled away Hermione's gaze was heated and with an unspoken agreement, the pair acknowledged the tension between them was completely different from what they experienced those early years at Hogwarts. Hermione licked her lips before calling out her destination. Draco watched the green flames die and when he was totally alone again, his mind began to race with ideas.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

After her time with Draco and Kitmu, Hermione returned to the small office she'd rented and started to layout the selected photos. It was only a few days later when she was able to finalize Draco's pages. In addition to Draco, her school time (and still) best friend Harry Potter had agreed to be part of the issue. Hermione wasn't responsible for his photo session, but when his proofs arrived Hermione knew just what photos would be on the center spread of the magazine.

The April issue focused entirely on the body. There were articles about nutrition, hygiene, fashion along with other topics all focused on how to get the best out of your body. The photos showed people from all professions and walks of life. The athletes were most fit with muscles and intense looks. The aurors were found to be the most surprising as they were fit but also trained in a variety of techniques used to subdue. The "regular" people ranged from pregnant witches to dragon tamers to Ministry officials to a Hogwarts Professor. No one really looked at a cauldron the same after that issue.

The most discussed photos were those on the center pages. Draco's spread started before the center and he received a single page at the beginning of the section with the picture of him reaching directly at the reader. Most saw the intensity in his eyes as why he was considered one of the best players. A few were more circumspect and after some well placed, well worded questions on what Hermione asked when the shot was captured, they suspected the man was much more focused on the witch and not the snitch.

After the first page, Draco had two double page spreads with photos, an interview, a story on his charities and an example timetable for one of his training days, along with what his meals would entail. On the next page, just after the last double page spread, was the center of the magazine and on the left page was a photo of Draco seemingly racing toward the right page with his hand extended.

On the right page of the center was a similar shot of Harry but reversed. Harry faced Draco, also reaching toward the middle of the page. Hermione thought the two pages might have actually been close to what a spectator would have seen all those years ago on the school pitch. The boys fought every match during Hogwarts then and now when they participated in a Ministry league or just a pick up game the intensity was obviously still present. With a bit of photoshopping Hermione placed a snitch hovering over the center staple. Many laughed and told Hermione she would have enjoyed Quidditch more if the seekers were naked. Hermione's blush made everyone laugh just a bit harder.

Draco stood smugly just behind Hermione smirking at her best friend. Harry rolled his eyes at the wizard but was pleased to know his best friend was finally happy and able to bring focus to topics she found important. It didn't matter she had to do some sensationalization to get people to purchase it, in the end they read the articles and began the discussions that hopefully would inspire someone else to do something.

Hermione's magazine had an incredible bump in subscribers after the initial April issue and it did become one of the most eagerly anticipate issues for the wizarding world Not only to see who was shown, but to see just how beautiful the human body could be.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

That first dinner with Draco was followed by many others as the pair began to act on the feelings they had suppressed while at school. Hermione found herself in love with the library and the couple would find themselves ensconced there on a regular basis. Draco helped Hermione to expand her desire to make some small part of their world a better place and in doing so found his own desire expanded as well. The couple came to be seen as one of the most philanthropic couples ever.

In the end, Hermione believed in herself and attained all her desires and goals. They were everything she'd imagined (and hoped) them to be.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

_**A/N2: For those of you wondering, yes the issue staring our HP favorites is based off Sports Illustrated annual body issue. **_


	5. Chapter 5 - A Little Darkness

_**A/N: Hello all. It's been a hot minute, with all that is going on, my muse is also in quarantine but not with me. **_

_**I'm intrigued with gray/dark-Hermione stories and have tried my hand at them. This is a grayish-Hermione story. Not too detailed, but I think it's enough to get the point across. Take the books as is with the exception of Draco, at some point & for some reason he sided with the light. Make up your own conclusions on that.**_

_**Stay safe**_

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The war ended with the death of Voldemort. His legions found themselves on their own again, most were thankful, some still believed the same things and found themselves wanting to continue their fight for the cause. Instead of death to those not part of their world view, as they found the populous really did look down on that sort of thing, the followers simply returned to their lives before the events at the World Cup and plotted their eventual success through more socially acceptable means. And for the most part, the wizarding world allowed it.

The first step was a strengthening of the wizarding world's borders. It seemed innocuous enough, muggles pose a danger to those with magic. Even muggleborns admitted, more to themselves, muggles seemed to find magic as this fantasy allowing them to do things easily. Muggles who possessed knowledge of the wizarding world were vetted intensely. At first the questions were why was the knowledge imparted and was it still necessary.

For the most part, it was decided muggles no longer needed to know and the solution was to alter memories. In reality, it was just a bunch of pretty words for obliviating people who had no way to protect themselves. While there may have been a few muggles who posed more of a risk with the knowledge; those few caused a panic. In the end only muggles with magical children not yet graduated or married to a magic wielder were allowed to keep the knowledge. These muggles were tracked relentlessly, to keep everyone 'safe'.

As a number of Voldemort's former followers were quite influential, it didn't take long for more government regulations to be implemented. Slowly muggleborns found themselves the target simply because of their birth. One particular muggleborn saw it coming and for years made plans to thwart those in power. She'd also taken personal precautions. Her closest ally remained in contact privately, but to keep themselves under the radar, their acquaintance remained a secret to everyone in their lives. Their relationship was everything they wanted and yet they couldn't share it with those closest to them.

By the time the fifteenth anniversary of the Final Battle had passed the majority of the population had forgotten who fought for what. They'd begun to blame muggleborns for everything. Tom Riddle had faded in the memory of those who fought and most people had forgotten him all together. Muggleborns and a few others would have laughed since all Riddle wanted was to be acknowledged for his superior magic, that was had the situation not been so dire.

Before the twentieth anniversary a new Minister was elected. The Minister claimed to be very conservative and only wanted to preserve the magical culture from being overtaken by muggle beliefs. At this point, there were very few adult muggleborns still in wizarding Britain. Most had fled, with their families to other countries and found a real home. One muggleborn witch refused to run, but would not argue until she was blue in the face. She knew what the next few years would look like, and the extremely small circle of trusted individuals she'd cultivated were more than ready to do their part.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Hermione woke to hear her phone ringing and loud bangs on her door. Looking to her phone, she saw a call from a number she never wanted to see. Grabbing her wand, she started waving it quickly and answered the phone at the same time, she never spoke a word as she watched everything in her apartment shrink and pack into one small messenger bag.

"It's time. The portkey already activated, you have ninety seconds. Their wards are already up, floo closed, they are working on your wards." The phone went dead and Hermione stood fully dressed, bag bag across her chest and wand at the ready. Her expression was quite determined. As she felt her final ward fall, the portkey glowed blue and she felt the pull at her navel. The last thing she saw was one person who she used to trust completely.

"Thank Merlin. I worried I was too late, my source was delayed in getting the information to me." Draco Malfoy stood in the middle of the safe house anxiously waiting for Hermione to gather herself after landing. Shaking Draco off for a moment, she took a deep breath and looked at the home they'd built together.

"We knew it was close. I had enough time, the final ward dropped just as the portkey was activating. As we suspected, Ron was there. He was leading the charge into the loft. He was pissed I'd been warned and the curse was half formed on his lips. It seems the theory on how individuals would be allocated was confirmed." The stress of the last few years had finally caught up with Hermione and she dropped to the couch just behind her.

Rushing to her side, Draco held her tightly rocking them until the deadly calm Hermione Granger was known for and that most people rightly feared overtook the witch. "Thankfully we were able to get everyone out. Dean Thomas left yesterday afternoon. I don't think his disappearance has been noticed yet. I still don't like you staying, but I'm too selfish to fight you on it. We both know this plan will work."

The slow and deadly smile spreading across her face signaled the end of what the racist bastards leading magical Britain had been doing. Draco had told Hermione when it first started, she was the reason everything would go so far. She refused to bow to them and they still believed themselves to be better. "It shall be interesting. Have you planted the seed on how I will come into your _possession_?" She hissed the last word in anger.

Draco had been appalled when he had been informed what the newest legislation the Minister would sign included. Anger quickly followed and his complete support of Hermione's master plan. She knew he would always agree but this decree pushed him to understand how much the current government system was flawed. "Of course. Father is very concerned to have someone so lowly in the house, it's probably why he was slow in confirming the decree had been signed. He was hoping someone else would find you first. More intriguing is my mother, she hasn't said anything and once everything is done, I'm interested to see where her loyalty lies."

"With you Draco, she will always pick you over him. Trust me." Draco was a highly intelligent man and he knew trusting Hermione Granger was the right decision. Emotionally he prayed she was correct.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Hermione and Draco remained holed up in their home for three weeks before they felt it was time to return and truly implement their plan. She was loathe to admit it, but the next few days would be the most difficult. She needed to appear broken in public and that upset her infinitely. "I know this was my plan but I may have underestimated my acting skills. I'm not really known for keeping my anger hidden."

Draco Malfoy chuckled as he pulled on the outfit the pair had determined was the best for his supposed tracking of Hermione for the last month. "This I know dear, which is why I've altered the plan a bit. You're not to be alone with anyone other than me and you will remain at the Manor unless we travel together. I don't see any reason for us to have to leave. I've already completed the necessary paperwork and it's been approved."

Hermione nodded in acceptance, she knew how it was going to look but she'd seen her reputation shredded and sew back together for years. This would be nothing new but yet entirely different. Her husband waited until her attention returned. "The Manor and her elves are loyal to me as head of the family. Lucius only believes he is still in charge. The family magic knows how he sacrificed everything important to a Malfoy and it sacrificed him as a result."

At this Hermione smiled knowing where the Malfoy magic resided and how it would destroy those who thought as Lucius did. "I know you believe my Mum to be on our side in this and I pray you are correct. You should know, when we return to the Manor, she will know something shifted. She will feel her role in the family changing and immediately know what it means. That will tick her off, she missed seeing us wed, but hopefully that can be addressed after everything is done."

Hermione nodded in understanding. Narcissa's role will have shifted significantly and the witch was neither stupid nor was she unaware of magic. "I know, let's hope she doesn't say anything to your father, it really would be too bad if I had to kill him this early in the game." Draco nodded before kissing his wife.

"Indeed it would be my dear wife."

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

It was a week after the pair returned to Malfoy Manor and Narcissa had said nothing. She watched the muggleborn witch carefully and found herself to be intrigued with whatever was occurring. Narcissa had long ago realized how petty her previous beliefs had been. In fact, she looked forward to the day she'd get to meet her grandchildren. They would be impressive and put the Malfoy name where it rightly belonged. If Narcissa was lucky and Draco had two sons, one of them would take the mantle of the Black family. Regardless of what Sirius willed to Harry Potter, the family magic was not transferred and he was not the head of the Black family. Plus Grimmauld Place was horrible, it'd be good to be rid of the place and establish a new family home.

Narcissa's other thoughts were on her husband. The man she'd loved and married died decades earlier. His tomb would reflect that date and not when his mortal body breathed its last. Her only concern was whether his final wishes would be fulfilled. She thought not, but would discuss with her son when the time was right.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Hermione sat in the large library in Draco's wing, it wasn't as large as the one downstairs but it was linked so any book she needed would appear. She and Draco agreed it would be safer for her to remain in his wing as it was warded to only allow the pair of them entry. She didn't feel confined, the wing was larger than her childhood home and had all the luxuries of a castle. She'd spent her time tinkering with the timing of her plan. She began revising the plans, switching who, when and how. The books in the Manor's vast library were riddled with ideas. It gave her great joy.

Her life in the wing started her second day in the large home. She and Draco appeared for lunch and found the main area overrun with former death eaters. Draco escorted the witch to the safety of the his wing before having the Manor forcefully eject the visitors. Lucius couldn't understand what happened. He had hoped for the group to relive some of their old hobbies.

As Hermione sat, she thought of a few new plots as she reviewed the notes of what she'd recently learned. At the onset of her time in the Manor, she found an interesting history on the beliefs of early magical beings. They believed when they passed their earthly remains should be burned and returned to the dust. Her first thought was how muggle it was, dust to dust, from dust you were made and to dust you shall return. It turned out the reason wasn't some religious or philosophical belief, but they wanted to ensure their magic was released back to the earth and allow for them to reclaim it on the other side of the veil.

The witch wondered if the old beliefs were still believed. Draco informed her they were but it was more a tradition now than really understanding the purpose. All the old families performed the ritual, after ensuring the deceased was complete and whole before burning the body. He admitted his father, his before him, and so on, remembered and believed. That was why each man had explicit instructions for their remains, their complete corpse, to be burned and the ashes spread on the family grounds.

It made for an interesting twist to her plans.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Theo Nott stood at his family's chair on the dais. The Nott family was the traditional head of the Wizengamot, decided by magic they said. Really is was a power play executed more than a thousand years earlier and the vow was still in place. Most of the original families in the vow no longer existed, at least not with the same names. The blood from those original families still flowed and that was what kept the old vows alive. As 'tradition' and 'returning to the old ways' had been such a catch phrase as of late, it was easy for Theo to assume the role his father held.

No one could vote against him, it would be voting against the one tactic used to rule the masses. Our society was great before, before they arrived. Keep them out and all will be fine. Theodore wouldn't rock the boat, at least not visibly. There were many things he could do and would do to fix the broken institution.

His father's death had been a complete shock to the country, everyone was beginning to settle under the new regulations and looked to Nott and the rest of the Wizengamot for guidance. No one knew Thoros was sick, in fact the entirety of the Ministry was quarantined due to his perpetual presence in the building. Dragon Pox was easily communicable and the only known potion had to be taken a month before exposure. Needless to say the government was frantic with plans should others become infected.

Many worried for their health in general, but those who saw the remains of Thoros Nott feared a death like his. Based on what the healer concluded, the man died alone and before anyone realized there was a problem, his body began the natural process of decomposition. The build up of gas in the body and the intense state of rigor mortis did not give the gas an avenue of escape. The buildup became so intense an alternative exit was created, through the stomach and out his belly. The elf who found the man spent hours collecting all his parts before altering anyone. What could they do? Nothing and the man needed a complete body. It was due to the severity of the mangled flesh that no one noticed the body was not whole.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

The first move in the game was the removal of a pawn, he was a powerful pawn, but a pawn none the less. Thoros Nott was in his country house waiting for his elf to return with his entertainment. Since the Ministry was unable to locate muggleborns besides the one the young Malfoy caught, muggle girls would have to do. He moved around the room slowly groaning at how stiff he was feeling.

As he took a step, his body seized and he fell to the wood floor with a thud. As his eyes moved around the room he saw the door open and the wizard relaxed knowing he was saved. As Theo, his son and heir, walked into the room pocketing a vial of liquid.

"Hello Father. It seems you've been poisoned. I'm sorry to say it is a fatal dose but before that occurs there are a few details that must be set. The scene will be quite important when questions are undoubtably asked." Removing his wand, Theo levitated the frozen form of his father to the large bed. "People might wonder if you're found on the ground."

"Just a few other things to do before the poison and nature take their course." With a severing spell Thoros's right thumb was removed and placed into a bag. "Father, it has been a distinct displeasure knowing you. Know when your remains are burned a part or two will be missing." As Theo neared the door he pulled one final vial from his pocket.

"This is quite potent and will have a very nasty effect. Hermione swore it would be painful. She's not been wrong in my estimation." The extremely fragile vial was floated toward the prone wizard, once it made its way across the room and was directly over the nose and mouth of the man, a small blasting spell destroyed the glass. The contents of the vial, a very fine liquid was inhaled.

Theo quickly shut and sealed the door before the mist had a chance to be inhaled. He wanted to enjoy the show but Hermione warned him the particular strain dragon pox was incredibly potent and there was a chance of exposure. The poison used to the petrify the body would continue to tighten the muscles into very strong walls, in a bit of a twist, Hermione ensured it would keep the victim alive until his body could no longer remain together. Thoros loved to torture and Theo felt it was only right to give a little back to the man.

When the Nott elf was summoned, it was told to return to the family manor and prepare it for his return. "Oh and Minnon,—" the elf turned and looked to the young man, "— return here in two days and check on him. If the door opens you are safe to enter. If the door remains closed, try again two days after that." The elf nodded and returned to the large manor without a second thought about the old master.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Hermione placed a thumb in a box on the shelf. It was branded with a small 'TN' to denote whose it was. A dark chuckle escaped her lips. Theo Nott leaned against the mantle in his friend's personal library. "Father was the first." Theo bowed deeply to the witch who shrugged. All who would meet her retribution were vile and those with innocents were even more so.

"Yes, he was. Is your sister ok?" Theo nodded and thought of the young girl who'd been born shortly after the war. She was the result of his father's favorite past time. The girl was shielded from the man who'd sired her, he'd have abused the girl solely because she was born of a muggle girl the man then murdered. Theo had been sure to protect the girl and made sure she was more than aware of his failings as a human.

"She's better now. I saw the fear leave her as soon as the aurors arrived to inform us. Quite the actress." Melanie Nott was unaware of the details surrounding her father's death, her reaction was wholly authentic surprise and masked glee.

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Another six months passed after Thoros Nott's death before anything was noticed by the lemming-like readers of The Prophet. Over that time a number of powerful individuals had died. It wasn't unexpected, not really, these were the people who fought in a long war in order to save the wizarding world. Their bodies weren't as strong and they were susceptible to after-effects of what they had suffered. They were old and it was only natural for them to pass.

This seemed to ignore the fact not all those dying were old. The Prophet rarely put fact ahead of sales. Their newest writer, Pavarti Patel, was a true master at spinning tales to meet her goals. Years of gossiping with her best friend at Hogwarts allowed her to tell the tale that needed to be told. It wasn't the truth, no one told the truth, Pavarti was of the belief her point of view was just as valid as anyone else. She happened to have a vehicle to spread the story as she wished it to be told.

After the horrible circumstances of Thoros Nott's death, Vincent Crabbe, Sr was rushed to St. Mungo's with what was thought to be indigestion, but turned out to be sudden cardiac arrest. 'It was a shame CPR wasn't taught in the magical world' the half-blood healer who was in charge of Crabbe's survival thought to herself.

Her next thought was there was no need in reminding others her mother was a muggleborn by using those un-magical medical methods. The healer stood over the bed and watched the man's blue lips shake as he tried to breath. The healer was silent as the life drained from his eyes. She looked to the clock and noted the time of death, with a flick of her wrist the death certificate was complete. While the paperwork made its way to the Ministry, a quick snip with shears removed a toe. Since the family was now dead, the hospital was responsible for burial. Covering the remains, incomplete as they were, the healer sent it for immediate cremation.

The story in Prophet quoted the healer as saying there was nothing that could do for him. Age and hard living took their toil on his body. With no need of a toxicology review, he'd died from natural causes after all, the minor trace of deadly poison in his blood went undetected.

Crabbe's death was publicly followed by the tragic demise of most of the Flint family. It wasn't until Hogwarts released for the summer holidays anything was noticed. Eventually it was determine the family was on holiday at one of their remote estates when it caught fire. As the home was in the middle of a vast wilderness, including old family wards only allowing blood relatives to pass, it wasn't until the youngest Flint, a boy still at Hogwarts, returned to London the call was raised.

Marius Flint stepped off the Express and did not see his family. He wasn't worried as it wouldn't be the first time he'd been forgotten. In response to the tendency of the Flints to forget their youngest, the Hogwarts Board of Regents began to assign trusted individuals to patrol the platform. Marius rushed to the first trusted adult he saw, and was brought to Malfoy Manor until his family was located.

As the boy was a minor, Draco Malfoy was given temporary custody of the boy. Marius found himself ensconced in the same wing as Draco's personal chambers. After spending time with the witch also residing in the old Manor's walls, he learned more of the old traditions than he learned during the last few years of school.

When the Ministry's search finally reached the most remote of the Flint properties, Marius was needed to lead the group through the wards. He claimed he didn't feel safe given the unknown state of his family and how long it took the Ministry to even get to this point. As the story played out in the papers, the Ministry found themselves caught up in their own propaganda. The Flints were an old family and the ministry failed them, what would that mean for those not as storied? To ensure his safety, the young boy requested the accompaniment of his advocate and the friend he'd made while staying at Malfoy Manor.

Hermione and Draco traveled with Marius and found the home was a now pile of ash with bluebell flames still burning. The Ministry was never able to determine when or how the fire started but based on Marius discussing how his father loved to use bluebell flames to light the home, they concluded it was a tragic accident.

The Flint seat on the Wizengamot would remain open until Marius came into his majority and his votes would be made by proxy. His advocate, Draco Malfoy, took guardianship and gave the boy a room in his wing. Marius needed a place to stay during the holidays and it would be cruel to send him to the home he shared with his now dead family.

The ears of the deceased Flints were placed in the box sitting in the Malfoy heir's library. "How long do those bluebells burn?" Hermione shrugged. "You are one powerful witch. I'd like to experiment one day. Maybe light one somewhere and check on it every so often. I think I have the place for it as well." A dark glint flickered in his eye and Hermione simply nodded in agreement. Those bluebells had been burning since January so the experiment would need to go at least that long.

As the shock of the Flint family started to ebb news broke on the disappearance of Greg Goyle. After the war he found a place in the Ministry and worked to ensure muggleborns followed the laws as written. There was no deviation, no gray area. It made him a feared enforcer and he enjoyed his notoriety. For too long he'd been known as Draco's lackey and nothing more.

He had taken the responsibility of hunting down the muggleborns who left the country, as citizens of magical Britain they were required to follow the laws of the land. He hadn't had much luck in that regard but had heard a rumor a few of the muggleborns from Gryffindor holed up in some cave in Germany. They weren't, but the animals that were there didn't give the wizard much of a chance to do more than release a half scream before his throat was ripped open. The litter of European Lynx fed on the body until it was time for the kittens to move on.

After the kittens had fed and feel asleep, Draco Malfoy dropped the containment wards covering the cave's entrance. Finding the first bit of flesh, it and Draco returned to the comfort of the English countryside.

The Prophet had no idea what happened beyond the Ministry receiving confirmation of death through the Goyle family tree. The story was light on details but lamented his loss as he was a good loyal boy. And detailed how he fought for the salvation of his country and hoped his remains would be located in order to receive the burial he deserved.

The death of Travers made headlines in the Prophet and the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor chuckle. He'd been guilty of all the crimes he'd been convicted of committing, he admitted it during his trial. It didn't seem to matter much when the new Minister moved him into the cabinet after being elected.

It seemed almost poetic when parts, and only parts, of his body were found in the graveyard where the McKinnon family was traditionally buried. The Minister called for an all out manhunt to find the murders and started an effort to immortalize the man in the history of Britain. He would be remembered that was assured, but only as a psychopath and a killer. The Minster eventually dropped the campaign and quietly ended the investigation when absolutely no leads were uncovered.

It seemed he left work one day and after exiting the Ministry nothing could be found. Shame it took so long to identify the body, maybe if the Ministry used more modern tactics they'd have been able to pick up the traces of portkeys, apparition and curses in his flat. Yes, such a pity the DMLE had difficulty breaking the undocumented wards surrounding the property.

"We are going to need a larger box soon Draco." Hermione's nose was scrunched as she placed some portion of Travers in the box. It wasn't as if the rest of him was going to be found anyway.

"We are almost finished, just two more. Right?" Draco gazed at the list on the wall and nodded at each name that had been marked off. Hermione hummed in agreement and looked at the over full box.

"The last two will take a bit longer. Let's dispose of these now." The couple exited the home and were met by a friend. The trio moved toward the Malfoy mausoleum and a recently dug hole at the edge of the forest. The box was sealed shut and unceremoniously dropped into the hole. Using a bit of magic the hole almost covered before a small sapling was gently placed in the hole and was covered with the remaining dirt.

"Thank you Neville, this will be a lovely addition to the gardens soon." The tall man nodded and set up a spell to ensure the young silver birch would thrive.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

A new head of the Longbottom family was named after the death of Augusta Longbottom. Augusta lived a long life and remained stoic in her role until she felt she could hand the responsibility to the next in line. She'd wondered for years if her grandson could handle it, after the war and years of instruction, she believed now was the time. In the quiet of her room, she breathed her last and left a note for the boy, now man, she'd raised. The post script told the wizard to continue on the path of right and to believe in those who put their trust in him.

Neville, the quiet hero of the second wizarding war, was now in charge of the family seat on the Wizengamot and most others on the committee saw no reason for concern. Augusta remained neutral on the topic of muggleborns, but never sided against the Minister. The family was pure and seemed to find comfort in the traditions of their world. The boy would be easy to manipulate, to control. This was what Neville wanted to project.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

When Draco stepped into the Wizengamot chamber and made his way toward the Malfoy seat, a mysterious smile was shared between the young Malfoy and a few others. The glimmer in their eyes was enough for them to know the plan was still on track. There were only a couple of pieces remaining.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Lucius had been getting nervous. Ever since the decree on mudbloods being nothing more than property, those who'd been marked by Riddle were mysteriously dying. There was nothing to connect the deaths except for the fact they were marked. Lucius was now the only marked death eater remaining alive. Even a few of the more zealous, but unmarked individuals, had met their fate. Most of the deaths had been put to natural causes or tragic acts as there was no physical evidence of nefarious activity. But Lucius knew better, the only question was who could do it…who was smart enough to …

A dark chuckle sounded from a corner of the study and Lucius spun toward the sound. "Hello Lucius, seems you've finally figured it out, yeah?" Hermione stepped from the shadows holding a vinewood wand, wearing a large sapphire pendent and the emerald and diamond encrusted family ring. Lucius moved to attack but was stunned to find himself unable to move. "Ah, you've discovered one of my personal favorite spells. You see, having such a brilliant mind I've been creating spells and potions here and there to aid me in this endeavor. This is one for the protection of my family and only triggers if someone wishes to harm me or mine. And Lucius, you are not mine."

Hermione flicked her wrist and Lucius felt his cane and therefore his wand ripped from his person. He tried to yell, to argue this thing had no right but found himself unable to voice anything. The witch only chuckled and advanced on the man.

"I've wondered if you'd put it together but apparently you only realized why certain individuals were dying when you were the last wizard standing. No worries there Lucius, you won't be standing for long." With an overly dramatic and somewhat Draco like flourish, Hermione's spell forced Lucius's mouth open and a potion was poured into his mouth. With a second snap of her wrist, Lucius felt his jaw snap shut and the sensation of fingers on his neck. As if a reflex he swallowed the liquid. "Now I'll tell you the rest."

Lucius knew his time was up, but his changes to law would remain, there were no muggleborns left so the populous would continue on as it should have always been. "That potion isn't fatal, well not in and of itself, what will kill you is either starvation or if your will requires your body to be burned and returned to the soil." Her dark eyes glinted more when the fire behind her roared to life. Lucius knew what his will contained and shuddered at knowing how his life would end. Draco released a deadly chuckle and garnered his father's attention.

"Now Father I believe it would be practical to have a bit more of a discussion with you before we announce your untimely death. Can't have too many unexplained deaths but Hermione and I couldn't wait any longer. You'll live long enough to see all the evil you tried to continue will be ended. It really will be quite simple. Do you know how many new muggleborns there are?" If Lucius could have moved anything his eyes would have popped from his head.

"Oh yes Lucius, there are hundreds now, all are safe from your silly little laws and detector spells. Whoever created them seems to have built-in some very obvious loopholes we could exploit. Or maybe Blaise just didn't believe in anything you were trying to do. That is probably the more reasonable explanation." Hermione moved to stand next to Draco and his son had the nerve to smile at the thing and wrap his arm around her.

"No, no Father, you must listen to the rest, you were the reason this went so far. You see Hermione and I have been together since our last year at Hogwarts and the family magic has accepted her. As you can tell, the family ring proudly sits on her finger. When you and your cronies attempted to destroy what magic had mandated we started to plot your downfall. It was easy enough to remove those most vulnerable to your attacks. I wonder if you ever realized the decrease in adult muggleborns wasn't because of you. Nope, most of them are our friends and took our offer to protect them. Those too young were whisked away long before your crackpot Minister was sworn in. Of course, she has already met her end."

Hermione's dark laugh rang out in the room. "Not quite Love, she was checked on today and I was told she's breathing. Barely, but would be considered alive and could potentially be saved, if she was found. Her death has been more painful than yours will be Lucius. I had thought about making you suffer in agony but realized physical pain was meaningless, it would hurt more to watch what you desire crumble. Delores; however, deserved what she suffered. Well, what she's suffering. I felt a quick death wasn't in her future. Would you like to see?"

Hermione poured a previously obtained memory into the pensive and using her wand lifted Lucius toward the bowl. With little finesse she dropped the wizard to the ground and forced his head into the bowl.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Delores Umbridge finally attained her dream, she was the Minister of Magic and the one responsible for removing the unworthy from her world. Her thoughts were now on how to handle half-bloods, maybe she'd include them in the next session. She had a majority in the Wizengamot with her pureblood followers. It would be easy to force any half-blood from their seat and strengthen her position even more. After that, much like she'd done with mudbloods, the half-bloods would lose their rights and finally be at the mercy of the purebloods. Delores took special pride in how she'd manipulated those around her to believe she was a pureblood. Much like Tom Riddle, Delores had altered her history to make it appear as if she was as pure as Lucius Malfoy.

A quiet noise to her right made the Minister look up and she was surprised to see the only mudblood who'd been captured standing in the room. "What are you…"? Before another word could be said, another movement could be made, or to trigger the panic alarm, Delores found herself slammed against her desk and blacked out from the pain.

"Where am I?" Delores looked around to find herself in what appeared to be a replica of the office she had at Hogwarts. The school wasn't used any longer, it was found to be inadequate to prepare the pureblood wizards and witches for their expected lives. If it weren't for the three years of dust on the desk, Delores would have thought it was a dream. But she never dreamed of dirty things.

"Ah, it seems you're finally awake. Now for your punishment, I think you'll recognize the items in front of you." Delores looked and saw some parchment and a quill. Her eyes widened a fraction at the quill. "Yes, you do remember, good good. Imperio." The spell hit with force and Delores was shocked at the order.

A sentence appeared on the board and Delores was forced to pick up the pen and start to write. "You'll find it in your best interest to use your best penmanship Miss Umbridge. If not, you'll be required to start over." With a second flick of her wand, Hermione forced the older witch to begin writing.

"You know 'Mione, I'd always wanted to do this." Harry Potter walked from another corner and sat next to his best friend. "But watching will do as well. Lunch?" Harry pulled a wicker hamper forward and the pair happily started to eat while the older witch began to whine. Two hours into writing Harry inspected what had been completed. "Seems a bit sloppy. Hermione, I believe she needs to start over. Maybe just the resignation letter for now. We'll get the rest later?"

"Sounds like a good idea. Delores start over and do it right this time." After starting over again, the wounds on her hand, arms and torso began to bleed more and more. Each time she was forced to start over, the cuts grew deeper and bled more. Hermione's dark eyes held no reaction as Dolores Umbridge began to cry. Hermione was easily able to pull more and more of the demented plans from the mind of the other witch and wrote what would amount to her suicide note. Hermione only chuckled as the letter wrote itself.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

As Lucius fell out of the memory he was faced with a wizard who'd been raised to be ruthless and a witch who proved herself cunning enough to outsmart her betters. Lucius was frustrated at his failure. He should have just killed the witch as soon as she stepped into the Manor.

"You see Lucius, apparently you can only use a blood quill for three days until there just isn't any blood left. Dolores will be found, eventually, however by then the evidence of how she died will no longer exist, if you get my meaning." The dark chuckle he'd heard in the memory started again and made the soul of the dark wizard quake.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

Draco stretched in his bed and found Hermione cuddled to his chest. "Morning Love, what is the plan for today?" Hermione smiled the kissed her husband.

"I think it's time we inform Narcissa her suspicions were correct and plan a ceremony to celebrate our marriage. Our anniversary is coming up in a few months." Draco nodded slowly before gripping his wife's hands.

"After lunch, now I have more pressing matters to attend." Draco hungrily kissed Hermione and her morning plans were shifted to the afternoon.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

"Hello dears, is Lucius still alive? If he is, I'd like a moment a moment with him. There are a few things for him to understand and it's best I do it." Draco and Hermione hadn't even entered the dining room when Narcissa addressed the pair.

"Good day Mother, yes he still lives and is whole. I believe we'll keep him around for a bit. I've asked one of the elves to make sure he gets enough nutrients to keep him alive. Maybe six or so months after they finally locate the sad remains of the former Minister." Narcissa simply nodded and retook her seat.

"Hermione, please sit next to me. There are a few secrets I have but couldn't pass to the new Lady Malfoy until now. Then I have some ideas about the wedding. Nothing is in stone, but I'd only like to share them and allow you to use, or not use, them at your leisure." The dark haired witch smiled widely and pulled Draco with her.

"Of course Mrs. Malfoy, but I'd like Draco to hear as well. He has a better idea of what is expected and how they'd play with the populous. Need to keep them happy after all." With a wink and a nod, the table and place settings adjusted to something more reasonable for a family of three.

/*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/ /*\\\\*/

It took about a year after the discovery of the Minister before the couple were officially married. Part of the delay was in overturning the numerous laws established in the prior years, giving the public time to digest the manifesto written by their former Minister detailing all her plans to enslave the wizarding world under her rule, and finally to bring muggleborns back into the fold.

What shocked those who remained in Britain was the majority of the relocated muggleborns simply ignored the pleas to return. Magic was on the side of the muggleborns and those who'd supported the pureblood doctrine found themselves in the most unlucky of situations. That seemed to be the turning point, no one wanted magic to turn on them. At least that was what the perception was after the acclaimed seer Lavender Brown and her visions became public knowledge. It seemed she'd foretold the unfortunate deaths of all those who'd supported the prior Minister's doctrine and they had ignored her.

Change was difficult but when the heir of the Malfoy House announced plans to marry the muggleborn the shift was escalated. Lucius Malfoy was not at the wedding nor was he acknowledged. When questioned by The Prophet, Draco simply said the family magic had turned and he was no longer considered worthy of the Malfoy name. After that, Lucius Malfoy faded from the collective memory and the only ones who remembered him were those in the house.

The last thing Lucius consciously saw was when a small branch emerged between his son and Hermione Jean Granger on the family tapestry. His death was quiet, since he couldn't scream, and quite warm when the pyre was lit by Hermione with the bluebell flame that had constantly burned during his confinement.


End file.
